The most powerful tank in the world: review, criteria

To assess the combat capability of armored vehicles and understand what the expression "the most powerful tank in the world" means, you should first determine the evaluation criteria. A single classification does not yet exist.

Classification of tanks

In the British army, for example, there is a division into cruising tanks and infantry support vehicles. In other countries there are classes of light, medium and heavy tanks, but the separation is very arbitrary, since it does not take into account the level of armament, the caliber of the turret gun and the engine power. In the US Army, the classification is the simplest and involves a division into lungs (up to 20 tons), medium (21-40 tons) and heavy (all having a greater mass than the average). In an applied sense, such a classification is most rational, since any commander can determine on the map which bridge will withstand the technique in the conditions of a real theater of military operations. But does this mean that the most powerful tank in the world should be the hardest? Or should he have an engine of incomparable power?

"Joseph Stalin" - in the 1940s the most powerful tank in the world

The most powerful tanks of the Second World War were Soviet. All world tank-building of the next decades chose them as the model. The main features of the modern tank were four criteria:

• Protivosnaryadnoe inclined booking;
• Long-barreled large-caliber gun;
• Diesel power plant, located at the stern;
• Rear drive rollers.

The most powerful tank in the world - IS-3 became the personification of Soviet defense technologies in the post-war years. He did not have a chance to fight (unlike his predecessor, IS-2), but his design took into account all the experience gained prior to 1945 of using armored vehicles. Nothing like this was created in any country for another decade after that.

Is always the heaviest tank the most powerful?

The weight of the tank does not always objectively characterize its combat capabilities. To determine the combat capability of a vehicle, its weight in conjunction with the power of the power plant should be taken into account. The indicator of the tank's ability to develop high speed, overcome obstacles and make complex maneuvers is the specific power, which is equal to the ratio of engine power to the mass of the tank. The more kilowatts (or horsepower) there are per ton of combat vehicle, the more efficient it can be used.

There are two ways to increase the specific power: installing a stronger engine and reducing the mass. Both methods are applicable within limited limits. A powerful engine weighs more, requires adequate volume and additional armored cover. And he consumes a lot of fuel, which means that fuel tanks are needed large, and they also need to be protected. And the armor is strong, so thick.

It is believed that the German "Royal Tiger" T-VI, built at the end of the war, is the most powerful tank in the world at that time. This opinion is argued by the fact that two 650-strong Maybach engines were installed on it, and therefore there is nothing to talk about. However, due to the outdated layout, the specific power of this super tank is only 9.2 liters. S / t, while the IS-2, mass produced in the USSR since 1943, this figure was 11.8.

What else is the power of the tank

However, in addition to running characteristics, the power of armored vehicles is determined by other indicators. Artillery armament should effectively hit armored targets, and the requirements for the caliber and types of projectiles are constantly increasing as the technology of armor is improved.

In the last decade, the information saturation of on-board electronic equipment has become extremely important, which allows reducing the time for making command decisions and improving the topographic orientation of the crew.

Currently, the T-90 is the most powerful tank in Russia from serially produced models of equipment in the history of domestic defense production. Its running characteristics and firepower make it possible to assume that this car fully corresponds to the world level, and in many respects surpasses it.