The Future of the Tank

Abstract

The tank has been criticized ever since it was introduced during World War I. In fact, it has often been declared obsolete by several experts. In spite of this fact, the tank has emerged as the critical component of major land warfare. This paper explores the reasons for this dramatic turnaround. This exploration begins with a review of the history of the tank and its role on today's battlefield. Next, the author analyzes the role of the tank in both the near and far-term future. In both cases, it is determined that the tank will fill an essential role on the battlefield. This project finds that while its design and the technologies it utilizes may radically change, the military principals that it fulfills will remain the same. Therefore, the author concludes that the role of the tank will remain as important in the future as it has been for the past 75 years.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 05, 1991
Accession Number
ADA236972

Entities

People

  • David B. Kent

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Ammunition
  • Armored Vehicles
  • Auxiliary Power Units
  • Civil War
  • Classification
  • Defense Systems
  • Fire Control Systems
  • Helicopters
  • Land Warfare
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Second World War
  • Turbines
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Warning Systems

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Systems Analysis and Design