States constantly compete in the production of weapons, using modern developments and expanding the range of weapon capabilities. Tanks continue to undergo numerous changes for a long time. Some parts are made of composite materials instead of the usual steel, increasing the degree of protection. More powerful engines are being installed, capable of developing more than 1000-1200 horsepower. The guns are also being improved: they become more accurate and larger, allowing them to fire rockets and shells of various calibers.
In this article you will find out how much a real tank costs and get acquainted with the main characteristics. We have compiled a list of the most popular models in the field of military equipment.
Chinese ZTZ-99
It is an alternative version of the Soviet T-72. Production began in 2001. Combines a laser warning system for the presence of enemy missiles in the air. Often used to suppress the optical guidance of the sight from the enemy. Resistance to cumulative projectiles is provided by upgraded armor. How much will the tank cost? The price per unit starts at $2.6 million. According to the manufacturers, despite the relatively low cost, the technical characteristics are in no way inferior to more expensive models.
How much does a tank cost today? Price analysis by country
So, do you know the cost of main battle tanks? Let's look at their prices in the world today.
Since its first use in World War I, the tank has served in virtually every war around the world. Today the tank is still the main fighting force of armies. An armed force without tanks cannot be considered a real army. Sohu publication analyzes the cost of tanks from different countries.
Russian T-90AM , price per unit - 4.25-4.5 million dollars. According to the publication, the T-90AM is a new generation of the main battle tank of Russia, the main weapon of the Russian army in the future.
The T-90AM is based on the T-90 and is equipped with a 125 mm 2A46M-5 cannon with the ability to launch anti-tank missiles, a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and a 12.7 mm remotely controlled machine gun. The thickness of the frontal armor reaches 700 mm, and it is complemented by an active protection complex.
The cost of the Israeli model "Merkava IV" / "Merkava IV" is 6-6.5 million dollars. The main battle tank of Israel. Excellent protection achieved through the modular principle of armor, front engine, wedge turret, active defense system, protective mesh, etc. Everything is aimed at ensuring maximum safety for the crew. Armed with a 120 mm cannon and a 60 mm mortar.
The active protection system and the protective grille are designed to ensure the safety of the occupants of the vehicle.
The British Challenger 2 began entering service in 1994. It is equipped with a 120 mm L30 cannon and 7.62 mm machine guns. It is one of the world's largest main battle tanks. Price 8.3-8.6 million dollars
The main battle tank, made in India, "Arjun" / "Arjun" costs 8-9 million dollars.
When developing the tank, the goal was to surpass the Leopard 2 main battle tank. But according to Sohu, due to the lack of basic industries, technical level and frequent increase in performance, the development time of the tank lasted 30 years, setting a world record for the development time of a main battle tank. The tank is inferior to Russian tanks, the cost of which is significantly lower.
Japan's domestic weapons and equipment tend to be very expensive, mainly due to the low production volume, and the unit price is naturally high in the case of constant research and development costs.
The tank began design and development in 2002 and entered service in 2012. It has adopted a number of innovative technologies. It was once known as the most advanced main battle tank in the world. It is equipped with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon and a 7.52 mm 74-type machine gun. A 12.7mm co-axial machine gun, equipped with an active protection kit for protection, ceramic/metal composite armor for the entire body, and modular armor for the turrets and other parts. Japanese 10式戦車/Type 10 costs $9.5-10 million.
The French Leclerc was once known as the world's first 4th generation main battle tank. It was a new type of main battle tank developed in the 1980s. The protection is equipped with alumina-ceramic armor and composite armor. Key parts are equipped with reactive armor. At the same time, it is equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing and explosion system, the weapon is equipped with a CN-120-26 120mm smoothbore pistol, a 12.7mm co-axial machine gun and a 7.62mm machine gun. For the Leclerc you will have to pay 10-12.6 million dollars.
The American M1A2 SEPv3 costs approximately $20 million. As a main battle tank that has served for nearly 40 years, the M1 series has always been a classic, and its latest evolution is the world's most advanced main battle tank, returning to the top three in the weapons rankings. Compared to the previous M1A2 series, the tank improved armor by using third generation degradable uranium armor, increasing the kinetic energy depth to 960 mm, and upgrading the ADL data transmission system with a new engine. Added joint tactical radio system.
The cost of the German “Leopard 2A7V+” / Leopard 2A7V+ is over 20 million dollars. Sohu writes that this price is exclusively for Saudi Arabia, where the head of state is generous and does not care about money. And add that the German Leopard is worthy of this price as a first-class main battle tank. Gross vehicle weight 67 tons, 120 mm smoothbore gun, AMAP composite armor, 1500 horsepower diesel engine can reach a speed of 72 km/h and accelerate from zero to 36 km/h in just 6 seconds, superior weapon stabilization system, first strike 99% EMES15 fire control radar and so on.
The price of the Chinese ZTZ-99 is 2.6-4 million dollars. According to the Chinese publication Sohu, the tank is economically profitable because The ZTZ-99 is easily one of the top five tanks, and the unit price is low.
Many modern low-intensity conflicts make do with antique tanks. And it is absolutely not necessary to purchase modern and expensive T-90, Leclerc or Abrams. It all depends on the budget and circumstances.
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Tags: Land vehicles Arjun Challenge Leclerc Leopard M1A2 Merkava ZTZ-99 UK Germany Israel India China Russia USA T-90AM tank France Japan Type 10
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Foreign tanks
German tank Leopard 2A6
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Produced in Germany, it is in service with NATO countries. Based on the 2007 contract, information about which can be found, which Canada entered into with Germany for the purchase of 100 tanks of this model, the contract value was $1.3 billion. Based on this cost, we can conclude that one Leopard 2A6 tank costs 13 million dollars. At the same time, a 20-year service contract worth $600 million is added to this price, then the cost of the tank will be $19 million with 20-year service. However, according to most reports and the latest data from various media outlets, the cost of the tank is $5.6 million.
American tank M1 Abrams
American tank of the third generation, the main battle tank produced in the United States. Used by the United States in all armed conflicts in the world. The M1 Abrams was developed during the Cold War. It was not possible to find exact prices, as follows from various press reports, the average price for a tank starts at $6.2 million, but the price greatly depends on the configuration and the availability of external and internal weapons and electronic systems, since the tank has many configurations.
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French tank Leclerc
They are produced and are in service in France, manufactured by Leclerc, Nexter Systems. In France, there are about 220 units in service. Exported only to one country, UAE. The cost is about 9.1 million dollars.
What determines the cost of the Abrams tank?
As we have already told you, the cost of this tank depends on a huge number of different nuances. First of all, it would be worth highlighting what modification this armored fighting vehicle is purchased in. At the moment, there are several dozen such modifications available. In principle, we can quite confidently say that no matter which modification of the Abrams tank you prefer, the price of the combat vehicle we are considering today will not go down, but on the contrary, it will increase, sometimes several times.
The most popular modification of the standard model of this tank is the M1A1 , in the case of which this combat vehicle will be equipped with a 120-mm smoothbore gun, as well as reinforced armor on the front of the hull. By the way, a distinctive feature of the above-mentioned modification can rightfully be considered the fact that in its case, a new collective system of protection against weapons of mass destruction will be provided, which will already have a built-in air conditioner.
M1A1 Significantly increasing the cost of this tank, there will also be so-called experimental modifications, the same
M1A1 Block III . This modification is expensive mainly because of its small distribution.
M1A1 Block III By the way, this modification radically changes the idea of the tank itself, since in its case there is a new layout of the internal volumes of the hull, not to mention a new power unit, as well as radio-electronic equipment, the presence of which is necessary for vehicle drivers means of this type.
This tank has been in serial production since 1980. In view of this, those individuals, or rather even states, who wish to acquire this combat unit will have the opportunity to save money by purchasing those tanks that have already undergone certain types of combat operations or tests. To be honest, this opportunity is not always provided and not to everyone who wants it. However, it is still provided and often, with its help, the cost of the Abrams tank, at least its standard variety, can be reduced by almost half. Again, if we are talking about purchasing a tank that has already been used once, then it can be in very different states. Quite naturally, the tank that requires major repairs will cost you much less than the one that was formally used at one time. Be that as it may, when making such a huge purchase, you need to understand that the price of such equipment cannot be fixed. The only exceptions are those cases when tanks are purchased directly from the plant itself. ="440″[/img]
Save Private Abrams. For 6 billion dollars
During a speech in Ohio, which was broadcast on the White House website, President Donald Trump said that the US administration is ready to spend $6 billion to modernize the American M1 Abrams tank. According to the US President, this amount is twice the total investment that was made to improve the tank during the Barack Obama administration over 8 years.
Reference
The US Army's main battle tank, the M1 Abrams, has been in production since 1980. Over the years of its use, more than 20 different modifications have been developed. The most current modification at the moment is the M1A2 SEP V3, released in 2015.
Is Trump a spendthrift or an envious person, ready to spend a lot of money for selfish reasons on a tank that doesn’t deserve it? Military expert and analyst Colonel Mikhail Timoshenko answered this question to the weekly Zvezda.
© Photo from the archive Military expert and analyst Colonel Mikhail Timoshenko.
— I believe that the upcoming modernization is connected primarily with the need to respond to the creation of the Russian T-14 tank, based on the Armata tracked platform. After information that the Russian new product will enter the troops very soon - in 2021 - the Americans decided to give an answer. That is why they are ready to spend such an impressive amount on modernization.
Rating
Forbes compiled a ranking of the best-selling tanks and estimated their approximate cost.
1. Russian T-90. The cost is approximately $2.5 million. The price of a deeply modernized version of the T-90MS is $4.3 million. The observer noted that the T-90 is the most commercially successful tank of the 21st century.
2. German Leopard 2. Is the main competitor of the T-90. However, its price significantly exceeds the cost of a Russian tank. A new Leopard can cost between $6 million and $10 million, depending on the modifications installed.
3. M1 Abrams - the cost of the most modern modification M1A2 SEP V3 reaches $8.6 million. It is noted that despite technical improvements, the high cost leaves no prospects for the sale of large quantities of new tanks, so in a commercial sense the project is at its end.
4. Chinese MBT-200 - $4.7 million. The tank fits into the “price/quality” concept typical of the Russian T-90. According to the observer, tanks from China and Russia are developing along a similar path, allowing them to significantly outperform Western manufacturers.
5. French AMX-56 Leclerc - $9.3 million. The car is distinguished from its competitors by the great attention paid to the comfort of the crew. This was one of the reasons for the exorbitant cost of the car, which actually killed its possible great commercial success.
The Abrams are mainly deployed in the United States. And only a small part of them are located in Europe. Therefore, you should not expect that the improved Abrams will go on the attack en masse in the event of a major conflict. The Americans will be tortured to transport them across the ocean.
© flickr.com
Only a small part of them are located in Europe.
It is also unknown which tanks will undergo modification first: export ones or those in service with the US Army. If the modifications go on sale, it is still unknown how well they will be bought. Statistics have shown that the older, cheaper Abrams models sell best, while the new models scare away buyers with their prices. And I doubt that the modernization planned by the US administration will have a favorable effect on prices and sales.
It is worth noting that the United States is increasing defense spending in all areas. For example, about $14 billion will be spent on nuclear weapons, and another $13 billion on missile defense. However, one should not panic ahead of time and perceive this as an act of aggression. As many experts have noted, this is only a response to the demonstration of Russian weapons. But unlike Vladimir Putin, Trump focuses not on new weapons, but on the amounts that will be spent on them.
Russian tanks
Tank Armata T-14
The newest modern tank produced in the Russian Federation was announced in 2015 at the Victory Parade in Moscow. The tank is currently undergoing testing; the full test cycle, as assured by the Russian Ministry of Defense, will be completed in 2022. According to the management of Uralvagonzavod, the manufacturer of these tanks, its cost is 250 million rubles or about 3.7 million dollars.
Tank T90MS - Tagil
Photo: Vitaly Kuzmin |
The Russian tank is a modernized version of the T-72 and T-80. Exported to different countries. In 2016, a contract was being prepared for the supply of 464 tanks to India with a total cost of 2 billion dollars (According to the Times of India), which means that the cost of one tank is 4.3 million dollars.
