10 Biggest Tanks In The World

A tank is a heavily armoured vehicle that runs on two endless metal chains which are known as tracks. Tanks were first used in World War 1 and since then, these mighty vehicles have undergone generations of changes. They were named tanks to trick the Germans into thinking that they were water carriers for the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I.

Even though tanks are expensive to operate and produce, they remain an integral part of all armies around the world as they are the most formidable and versatile weapons on the modern battlefield. Tanks have replaced the cavalry all around the world and they can do things that soldiers on horseback did in the past.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, there are 60,000 tanks in active service worldwide. It is interesting to know that tanks are not built for speed. In fact, if they run at high speed, there would be mechanical problems and breakdowns.

In this article, we have made a list of the top 10 biggest tanks in the world. Some of these tanks are still being used from World War 1.

10. Leclerc

Total Weight: 56 tonnes
Year Built: 1993
Built By: Giat Industries (now Nexter Systems)
Crew Capacity: 3

The Leclerc Main Battle Tank (MBT) was developed by GIAT Industries as a successor to the AMX-30 series tanks. It can fire arrows, explosive,s and canister ammunition in stationary or mobile modes.

The French Army ordered the final tranche of 52 Leclerc tanks in September 2001, concluding a total order of 406 (plus 20 armored recovery vehicles). Deliveries were completed in October 2007. The French Army has a fleet of 200 Leclerc tanks as of May 2021.

The Leclerc main battle tank is armed with a CN 120-26 120 mm smoothbore gun, 52 caliber long. This gun is fitted with a bustle-mounted autoloader, holding 22 rounds. 

9. Merkava 4

Total Weight: 65 tonnes
Year Built: 2004
Built By: Israel
Crew Capacity: 4

A further development of the Merkava Mt 3 tank, the Merkava 4 tank entered service with the Israel Armed Forces in 2004. A total of 360 of these tanks have already been built while another 300 units have been ordered by the Israeli Defense Forces. For a long time, these tanks were not available for export and only a few parts and components of these tanks were being exported.

However, in 2014, it was disclosed that these tanks would be exported to other nations. Currently the Merkava Mk.4 is among 10 best main battle tanks in the world. The Merkava Mk.4 features an improved 120 mm smoothbore gun, developed by Israel Military Industries. This gun is designed to sustain higher pressure, generating higher muzzle velocity. This MBT can fire various 120 mm rounds, including LAHAT anti-tank missiles. This tank can also fire all standard NATO munitions.

8. Leopard 2 A7+

Total Weight: 67.5 tonnes
Year Built: 2010
Built By: Krauss-Maffei Wegmann
Crew Capacity: 4

The Leopard 2 A7+ tank is an optimal combination of protection, mobility, manageability, and firepower. Made in Germany, the armies of 18 nations depend on this tank and currently, there are over 3,500 units of this tank worldwide. This tank can attain a maximum speed of 72 km/h and has a cruising range of 450 km.

The Leopard tank has very impressive features like all-round protection from booby traps, mines, or bazooka fire. It has an outboard station for dismounted forces and improved Improved optronics for reconnaissance over long distances. In December 2018, Hungary ordered 44 2A7+s, making them the second operator of the improved version, after Qatar.

7. Tiger B

Total Weight: 68 tonnes
Year Built: 1944
Built By: Nazi Germany
Crew Capacity: 5

A German heavy tank from the Second World War, the Tiger B tank weighs a massive 68 tonnes. This tank was in service only for a year, 1944-45. It was also known as King Tiger by allied soldiers and its informal name is Königstiger (the German name for Bengal tiger). Although this name was never used in contemporary German documentation, it was later used extensively after the war.

6. Abrams M1A2 SEPV3

Total Weight: 73 tonnes
Year Built: 2017
Built By: United States
Crew Capacity: 4

In 2015, the US Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command placed an order worth $92.2 million for an advanced version of the M1A2 SEPV2 tanks. In October 2017, the first line of these fresh tanks was delivered to the US Army. In the same year, General Dynamics Land Systems also received a $270 million contract from the US Army to manufacture 45 of these tanks.

Although this new tank retained the basic layout of its predecessor, it rectifies many space, weight, and power issues. This tank can host any mature technology the Army deems operationally relevant. This upgraded version of the tank is the most reliable Abrams tank ever produced and has decreased the army’s logistic burden.

The Abrams M1A2 SEPV3 tank has a 120mm XM256 smooth bore cannon, 7.62 M240 coaxial machine gun, and a 0.50 cal M2 machine gun.

5. Challenger 2

Total Weight: 75 tonnes
Year Built: 1998
Built By: United Kingdom
Crew Capacity: 4

Used by the British and Oman army, the Challenger 2 tank weighs 75 tonnes and was built in 1998 by the United Kingdom. It has a crew capacity of four and now having completed 23 years of service, it is the British Army’s main battle tank.

The tank has state-of-the-art features due to which it is expected to stay in service till 2030. This tank replaced its predecessor: Challenger 1 and per unit, the Challenger 2 cost the taxpayer £4.2 million. This mighty tank has a length of 13.5 metres with gun forward and a fuel capacity of 1,592 litres.

The tank’s main armament includes a 120 mm rifled gun (carrying max 74 rounds), Boeing 7.62 Chain gun and additional GPMG for Loader. Besides, this tank has some very impressive features like its ability to create a smokescreen by injecting diesel into its exhausts. It also has a full 360-degree rotating turret and can this tank can even withstand a nuclear blast!

4. Char 2C-Bis

Total Weight: 74 tonnes
Year Built: 1923
Built By: France
Crew Capacity: 12

Also known as Char de Rupture 2C-Bis, this tank was based on Char 2C. It was designed during the First World War but produced in small numbers after the war. It carries a 15.5-cm howitzer and is powered by two 250 horsepower engines that give it a maximum speed of 12 km/h.

Until that date, the Char 2C-Bis tank was the largest ever built. The tank required a crew of 12 but some reports say 13 due to pictures of the crews that included the company commander. In the year 1926, one of the 2C’s tank was converted into the 2C-bis, which weighed 74 tonnes.

3. TOG2

Total Weight: 81 tonnes
Year Built: 1941
Built By: United Kingdom
Crew Capacity: 6

Weighing 81 tonnes, the TOG2 tank was designed in 1941 and manufactured by William Foster & Co. While there are a lot other super tanks, only a very few of them have been able to achieve the cult status like the TOG2. This tank was designed under the assumption that the developments of the second world war would follow in the same manner as world war 1.

Keeping this in mind, the Britishers authorized the creation of the “Special Vehicle Development Committee of the Ministry of Supply.” The manufacturing and design of this tank was handled by designers such as Stern, Tritton, Swinton, and d’Eyncourt and they together created a tank that could break even through fortified enemy lines.

This tank has a stupendous amount of HP, a classic fast-firing 17-pounder gun, and a boatload of shells. It has an operational speed of 80 km.

2. K Grosskampfwagen (K-Wagen)

Total Weight: 120 tonnes
Year Built: 1918
Built By: German engineers
Crew Capacity: 27

Short for GK-Wagen, two prototypes of this super-heavy tank were completed by the end of World War 1. This tank has a length of 13 meters, width of 6 meters and a height of 3 meters and can accommodate 27 crew members at one time. The GK-Wagentank originally weighed 165 tonnes but later its length was shortened and its weight was reduced to 120 tonnes.

Due to its massive weight, it became impossible to the K-Wagen tank and so it was split into sections to be transported by rail and was later re-assembled where it was supposed to be used.

The K-Wagen is armed with four 77 mm fortress guns and seven MG08 machine guns and had a crew of 27: a commander, two drivers, a signaler, an artillery officer, 12 artillerymen, eight machine gunners, and two mechanics. When the project for this tank began, the incorporation of flamethrowers was also considered but was later rejected.

1. Panzer VIII Maus

Total Weight: 188 tonnes
Year Built: 1944
Built By: Nazi Germany
Crew Capacity: Six

The Panzer VIII Maus, a German World War II super-heavy tank, is the biggest tank in the world. This tank was completed in the late 1944s and is the heaviest fully enclosed armoured fighting vehicle ever built. Only two hulls and one turret were completed before the testing grounds were captured by the Soviet forces. Later this incomplete tank was finished by the British forces.

Weighing 200 metric tons, the Maus’s main armament was a 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun (55 calibers long barrel), based on the 12.8 cm Pak 44 anti-tank artillery piece also used in the casemate-type Jagdtiger tank destroyer, with an added coaxial 75 mm gun. The 128 mm gun was powerful enough to destroy all enemy armored fighting vehicles at close or medium ranges, and even some at ranges exceeding 3,500 metres.