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DISPATCH 02/26 · 9 Jun 2026
BATTLEPOLICY
Startup to front line. Strategy to consequence.
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mbt

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2
China

Type 96B

The Type 96B is the latest evolution of China’s most numerous main battle tank — a heavily upgraded 2.5-generation design that melds a third-generation turret with a second-generation chassis, first seen at the 2016 Tank Biathlon.

3
Russia

T-80BVM

Russia's gas-turbine main battle tank — a deep modernization of the T-80BV with Relikt ERA, a 1,250 hp turbine, and extensive combat use in Ukraine.

4
Europe

Altay

Turkey's first indigenous main battle tank — a 65-tonne design derived from South Korea's K2 Black Panther, now entering service with the Turkish Army, featuring a 120 mm smoothbore, the Aselsan AKKOR active protection system, and a powerpack initially sourced from Hyundai.

5
Europe

C1 Ariete

Italy's sole domestic third-generation main battle tank — a 54-tonne, 120 mm smoothbore platform now undergoing a C2/AMV upgrade to address obsolescence and low fleet availability.

6
Europe

Leclerc

France’s high-speed third-generation main battle tank — a three-man design built around a 1,500 hp Hyperbar diesel and a 120 mm L/52 smoothbore with an autoloader, now undergoing a fleet-wide digital upgrade to the XLR standard.

7
Russia

T-90M Proryv

Russia's most modern serial main battle tank — a deeply upgraded T-90 with a new turret, Relikt reactive armour and a fire-control suite, fielded from 2020 and now the benchmark of Russian armour attrition in Ukraine.

8
China

Type 99A

China's top-tier main battle tank — a three-crew, 125 mm autoloader-equipped heavy tank with reactive armour and a turret-mounted laser dazzler, fielded only by the PLA and with no combat record.

9
Europe

Leopard 2

Germany's Leopard 2 — the most widely fielded Western main battle tank, a 120 mm four-crew design exported to more than 20 armies and donated to Ukraine, where its 2A4 and 2A6 variants have fought since 2023.

10
USA

M1A2 Abrams

The United States' main battle tank — a four-crew, 120 mm gas-turbine heavy tank whose SEPv3 standard adds the Trophy active-protection system, and which was supplied to Ukraine in 2023.