Russian Tanks
Big Red unveiled the T-34 against war-time Germany and the armor-proud nation has never looked back.

1 IS-3/JS-3 (Josef Stalin) The IS-3 ("IS" for "Iosef Stalin" or "Josef Stalin") was an attempt to build upon the already formidable IS-2. Improvements over the IS-2 model included a redesigned rounded turret and a new heavily-sloped front armor configu... 1945

2 PT-76 The PT-76 was developed shortly after Second World War. The weapon system is designated as a "Light Amphibious Tank" featuring a crew of three and the ability to traverse varying depths of water. The PT-76 is armed with th... 1952

3 T-10 / IS-10 (Iosif Stalin / Josef Stalin) The T-10 can be considered the pinnacle "Josef Stalin" tank design as it is the tank that superceded previous forms and became the final product of the series. It sported an all new main gun, redesigned body and turret and pu... 1953

4 T-18 (MS-1) The T-18 was the first Soviet-designed and produced tank. Russia initially lacked the internal expertise to design, develop and produce their own tanks in the early 20th Century, relying heavily on the importing of existing s... 1928

5 T-26 As was the norm after World War 1 in all industrialized nations around the globe, Soviet warplanners set about to upgrade their armed forces to meet the demands of the everchanging battlefield. In particular demand was the im... 1931

6 T-34 The Soviet-produced T-34 was a medium tank that attained legendary status in the Second World War. Itself a product of much engineering and design of earlier models - the BT-IS, A-20, A-30 and the T-32 all coming before it - ... 1940

7 T-34/76 The T-34/76 was nothing more than the German designation used for the base T-34 medium tank in use by the Soviet Union during World War 2. For a full history of the T-34, visit the T-34 entry.... 1940

8 T-34/85 The T-34/85 is designated as an 'up-gunned' version of the familiar and successful base T-34 tank build by the Soviet Union and fielded during the Second World War. The T-34/85 featured a more powerful main gun - of 85mm cali... 1944

9 T-54 The T-54 series of Soviet main battle tanks came about with development after World War 2, ending with the system becoming operationally available by 1949. It can be said that no other Cold War or post-Cold War tank has seen ... 1949

10 T-55 The T-55 Medium Tank is probably the most internationally prolific piece of tracked armor as it can be found in dozens of military inventories across the globe. It has seen military frontline service from the invasion of Hung... 1958

11 T-62 The T-62 tank represented an update to the T-54/55 series of Soviet-produced main battle tanks. Conventional systems include a 115mm main gun, self-defense machine guns from aircraft (12.7mm machine gun) and enemy infantry an... 1961

12 T-64 The T-64 main battle tank looks very similar to the T-72 that followed it. The design was intended to provide Soviet forces with a new type of tank to field in number though reliability issues with mechanical components limit... 1970

13 T-72 The Soviet-era T-72 Main Battle Tank is closely related to the T-64. The T-72 features a low-profile and is arguable one of the most recognizable of the Soviet-post war designs ever made. The weapon system as a whole is also ... 1974

14 T-80 Featuring a modified turret and ceramic armor, the T-80 Main Battle Tank holds the distinction of being the first Russian tank to be powered by gas turbines. It maintains the low profile of earlier Soviet tank designs and can... 1979

15 T-90 The T-90 Main Battle Tank was designed as a direct descendent of the earlier T-72 Main Battle Tank, maintaining many of those original features and systems. Many view the T-72 as the best of the entire T-series of tanks, maki... 1999