How Big is a Tank?

The sizes of tanks vary greatly. The following are the specifications for some of the tanks used by the US, China, Israel and the United Kingdom.

Dimensions of the M1 Abrams Tank (USA)

The M1 weighs 61.4 tons and is 32 ft long 9.7 m). It measures 26 ft (7.93 m) and the tank is 12 ft wide (3.6 m). Most models are 8 ft high (2.4 m). The crew numbers four. Its main armament is the 105 mm M68 rifled cannon. Other models use the 120 mm M256 smoothbore cannon.

The secondary weapon of the Abrams is the 1 x .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2HB heavy machine gun. The size of tanks like the M1 Abrams allows it to reach speeds up to 42 mph (68 km/h). Off road they can move up to 30 mph (48 km/h). The operating range is 289 mi or 465 km.

Dimensions of the Challenger Tank (UK)

The Challenger weighs 62.5 tons and is 8.3 m long (27 ft 3 in). If the gun is set forward, the length goes up to 11.50 m (38 ft 9 in). It is 3.5 m wide (11 ft 6 in). With the appliqué armor it is 5.2 m (13 ft 9 in) wide. It is 8 ft 2 in (2.5 m) high. The main armament of the Challenger 2 is a L30A1 120 mm rifled gun. It is equipped with 52 rounds.

The size of tanks like the Challenger allows it to carry secondary armaments. The tank uses the 7.62 mm L94A1 EX-34 chain gun and the 7.62 mm L37A2 Commander’s cupola machine gun. The operating range is 280 mi (450 km). Its top speed is 37 mph (59 km/h). Off road it can attain speeds of 25 mph (40 km/h).

Dimensions of the Type 59 (China)

There are numerous variants of this tank, but a lot of models weigh in at 35 tons. It is 6.04 m in length, 3.27 m wide and has a height of 2.58 m. it is operated by a crew of four (the gunner, loader, driver and commander).

The Type 59’s armor is 203 mm, with a primary armament consisting of a 100 mm rifled gun. The size of tanks in the mold of the Type 59 permits use of secondary weapons. These consist of the Type 59T 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and / or Type 54 12.7 mm air-defense machine gun. The top speed is 50 km/h.

Dimensions of the Merkava Tank (Israel)

The Merkava weighs 65 tons and is 9.04 m (30 ft) long. Minus the gun the tank measures 7.60 m (24.93 ft). It is 3.72 m (12.2 ft) wide. The tank is 2.66 m (8.73 ft) high. The armor is composed of laminated ceramic steel nickel alloy.

The size of tanks like the Merkava allows it to move up to 64 km/h (40 mph). Its main weapon is the 120 mm (4.7 in) MG253 smoothbore gun. Other armaments include 1 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) MG, 1 × 60 mm (2.4 in) internal mortar and 2 × 7.62 mm (0.3 in) MG.

The sizes of tanks don’t just get bigger they are also improving in terms of speed and power. With increased military spending, expect more powerful tanks to be developed.