Battle Tank
The three traditional factors that determine a tank’s combat effectiveness are firepower, protection, and mobility. Since World War II, the economics of tank production (determined by ease and cost of manufacture) and the impact of a given tank design on logistical and field maintenance capabilities have also been considered important factors in determining how many tanks a country can afford in its power structure.
Tank designs that were never deployed in large numbers proved too complex or expensive to manufacture and placed prohibitive demands on the logistical support of the armed forces. Therefore, design affordability takes precedence over field performance characteristics.
Firepower is the tank’s ability to identify, attack and destroy. Protection is the tank’s ability to be detected, attacked, disabled or destroyed. Mobility includes tactical (short-range) mobility across the battlefield, including over rough terrain and obstacles, and strategic (long-range) mobility, the ability of a tank to be transported to the battlefield by road, rail, sea, or air.
Tank design is a compromise; it is impossible to maximize firepower, protection and mobility all at the same time. For example, increasing protection by adding armor leads to increased weight, which reduces mobility. Increasing firepower by installing larger guns forced designers to sacrifice speed or armor to compensate for the added weight and cost. Even for the Abrams MBT with good firepower, speed and armor, these advantages are offset by its very power-hungry engines, which ultimately reduces its range and, more broadly, its mobility.
