[Copland]

Hey guys,

I saw a nice special on modern battle tanks. Guess which one the Military Channel said was the best. Complete the poll. If you saw this, hold off, so we can get some good guesses. The poll will run for 7 days. By the way I should have put Leopard 2, instead of Leopard. Sorry.

[Canucklehead]

Fixed the Leopard for ya, copland.

[PappyB]

Abrams seems the obvious answer, so it must be something else -- oh drat, just gave away my vote (I did not go the obvious route..) Challenger II all the way!

[Berkut76]

What, No Japanese Type 90?

Given that Military Channel always ranks anything American above everything else no matter what, I'll go with Abrams as well.

Regards,

Sergey

[ZS-VAN]

I'm a bit circumspect here... Often I watch things on the History or Discovery channel and wonder how they draw their conclusions. I reckon they are biased towards their world view.

For example they rated the Sherman better than the Tiger on the basis that there were more Shermans!? Hallooo??? What kind of conclusion is that when all the tankers they spoke with chose the Tiger. They themselves said the Tiger was killing 3 out of every 4 Shermans!

I will add my vote though I already suspect who they said the winner was. Not my choice though.

[Aircrafty]

Now guys, surely you don't think there is such a thing as American propaganda, that's only for communists isn't it

[panzercommander]

Seeing that the Abrams is the only tank on that list that has been tested in a variety of combat conditions it would have to be #1. Its balance of firepower, protection, and mobility is tough to beat. Granted that turbine engine is rough on the gas mileage and, like all tanks throughout history, is vulnerable in urban areas without proper infantry support.

[PappyB]

Originally Posted by ZS-VAN

I'm a bit circumspect here... Often I watch things on the History or Discovery channel and wonder how they draw their conclusions. I reckon they are biased towards their world view.

For example they rated the Sherman better than the Tiger on the basis that there were more Shermans!? Hallooo??? What kind of conclusion is that when all the tankers they spoke with chose the Tiger. They themselves said the Tiger was killing 3 out of every 4 Shermans!

I will add my vote though I already suspect who they said the winner was. Not my choice though.

I think their reasoning was the sherman was far easier to produce, far more reliable, and the ability to churn 'em out fast in part won the war (man, I feel for the crews!). Their ratings took "impact on the outcome of the war" into account, rather than just fear factor, armor, and firepower data?

[Copland]

Just for information sake. The Military Channel did a special a year or more ago, listing the Top Ten Tanks of All Time. The list is below from bottom to top. Drum roll please.

10. M4 Sherman
9. Merkava
8. T54/55
7. Challenger
6. PZIV
5. Centurian
4. Mark I(WWI)
3. Tiger I
2. M1 Abrams
1. T-34

The criteria was as follows:
1. Firepower and armor
2. Mobility
3. Ease of manufacture
3. Fear Factor

[Copland]

Concerning the Merkava, the Top Ten Tank special said this:

First produced in 1977. Top speed: 34 mph. Range: 310 miles. The Teledyne turbo-charged diesel engine gives a power-to-wight ration of 14.28 horsepower per ton. Armor thickness: classified. Primary armament: 120-mm gun.

The Merkava's armor cannot be faulted, and it scored the maximum possible in the protection category. But the sheer amount of armor damages its speed and weight-to-power ratio, which gives this Israeli war weapon a below-average score in mobility. The Merkava is complex and expensive, thus it also receives a very low production rating. However, the tank has proved effective in battle, gaining solid firepower and fear factor scores, which ensure it a spot in ninth place.

The following was said about the Abrams:

The M-1 scores full marks for firepower and armor-it is a match for any of today's top tanks. The gas-guzzling engine loses points for mobility, though it still scores way above average. For its production rating, the score is low. This is a monstrously complex tank, expensive and difficult to engineer. Arguably the deadliest tank of all time, it gets full marks for fear factor.