A British Challenger 2 main battle tank one of the world’s most advanced battle machines
Contents Battle Machines Tanks and Artillery Ancient Weapons Early Cannons Improving Artillery The First Armored Vehicles Big Guns The First Tanks Tanks of World War II Modern Artillery Modern Tanks Abrams Battle Tank Timeline Fact File Glossary Index 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 29 30 32
BATTLE MACHINES TANKS AND ARTILLERY Modern tanks with their big guns and thick armor are complex battle machines fi lled with the latest technology They are devastating weapons in battle that punch holes in enemy defensive formations Modern artillery is similarly high-tech An artillery piece is a big gun It delivers an explosive shell with great accuracy often at a range of many miles These amazing weapons are the result of a long history of development that began thousands of years ago British Mark I Length 26 feet 8 meters Width 13 feet 4 m Weight 31 tons 28 metric tons Engine 3-gallon 13 liters gasoline Top speed 4 miles 6 kilometers per hour Weapons two 6-pound guns three machine guns Armor 0 2 to 0 5-inch 6 to 12-millimeter steel Crew 8 British Mark I Tank This was the first successful tank introduced in 1916 to the battlefields of World War I 1914 1918 It had a gun in each side turret machine guns and metal armor But the tank was unreliable and easily damaged 6
Old and New The two machines here show how the technology of tanks has changed over the last one hundred years Below left is a tank that fought in World War I the first war where tanks played an important part Below right is a large modern tank full of technology that makes it deadly in a fight M1A1 Abrams Length 26 feet 8 m Width 13 feet 4 m Weight 63 tons 57 metric tons Engine gas turbine Top speed 45 miles 72 km per hour Weapons 120 mm gun three machine guns Armor 24-inch 600 mm composite Crew 4 M1A1 Abrams This is a modern tank operated by the United States Army and other armies around the world It features a powerful gun on a rotating turret that fires explosive shells computerized gun aiming and armor made from advanced materials 7
