Tank



A tank is a tracked, armored fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities. Firepower is normally provided by a large-caliber main gun in a rotating turret and secondary machine guns, while heavy armour and all-terrain mobility provide protection for the tank and its crew, allowing it to perform all primary tasks of the armored troops on the battlefield.

FV0434 Challenger 1
The Challenger 1 is a British main battle tank. It was developed in 1986 after the fall of the Shah of Iran as well as the failure of the MBT80 project. The Challenger 1 was utilized by Zanzibar Land as part of its Tactical Army's Heavy Tank division.

Goliath
Main article: Goliath 

During the Zanzibar Land Disturbance, a Goliath heavy tank was developed in Zanzibar Land as part of the country's Tactical Land Army.

M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced and used by the United States. It is named after the commander in the Vietnam War and former Army Chief of Staff member General Creighton Abrams, and was designed for modern armored ground warfare. It comes in three main variants: The M1, the M1A1, and the M1A2 (a fourth, M1A3, variant is currently under development ). Zanzibar Land utilized M1 Abrams tanks prior to its fall within the Tactical Army's Heavy Tank division.

In 2005, an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank was used by Vulcan Raven and two Genome Soldiers while battling against Solid Snake on Shadow Moses Island. The M1A1 tank was also equipped with advanced vetronics, which allowed it and the gunner to track a target once it is locked on to the target. Its main gun also has an effective firing range of up to 3000 meters, and had a maximum speed of 45 mph. Snake was able to evade the tank's main gun using chaff grenade, and destroyed the tank itself by throwing grenades towards the top hatch while the gunner was exposed to fire as well as slowing it down by damaging its treads. A second M1 tank was housed in the tank hangar.

In 2014, the second M1 tank was still housed in the abandoned tank hangar on Shadow Moses Island when Solid Snake returned there. However, a continuity error results in it being a newer M1A2 identifiable by the commander's independent thermal viewer (or CITV), a cylindrical object located on the forward left corner of the turret that the M1A1 lacks.

Objekt 279


In 1964, a large number of prototype Soviet Objekt 279 heavy tanks were stationed in Groznyj Grad, Tselinoyarsk. This unusual tank was designed with double tread units and a lozenge-shaped hull to prevent it being flipped over by the blast of a tactical nuclear weapon. The four treads widen the traction area and increase friction with the ground, while the disk-shaped shield deflects the blast above and below the vehicle. The tank is armed with a 130 mm cannon and had a 1000 horsepower diesel engine, giving it a decent top speed.

The Objekt 279 supposedly proved too expensive for the Soviet Union to mass-produce, though Colonel Volgin of GRU was able to use the colossal resources at his disposal to continue the tank's development. However, these tanks were largely destroyed during the Shagohod's pursuit of Naked Snake and EVA, before they were ready for deployment.



Outer Heaven tanks
In the early 1990s, Outer Heaven utilized a main battle tank equipped with a 125 mm main gun, and two 7.62 mm machineguns mounted inside fixed boxes on the fenders. During the Outer Heaven Uprising, one of these tanks was deployed to Desert 1, which Solid Snake fought and destroyed using landmines.

Outer Heaven also utilized another tank variant, many of which where stationed in the Building 1 hangar of the main fortress.

Peace Sentinel tanks
In 1974, Big Boss and the Militaires Sans Frontières encountered several tanks that were owned by the Peace Sentinels: the MBTk-70 and KPz 70 in the Bananal Fruta de Oro, as well as T-72A and T-72 Ural tanks in the El Cadalso railroad station.

The MSF's first encounter with one of the Peace Sentinels' tanks was at El Cadalso. While investigating a train that had been transporting nuclear weapons, Big Boss was spotted by a T-72 Ural, which fired a shell towards him. Although he narrowly avoided being killed, the attack sent the train car flying into a supply tunnel, blocking it off. Unable to follow the truck to which the nukes had been transferred, Big Boss was forced to fight the Ural and its armed escort.

The Militaires Sans Frontières also captured several T-72 Urals/T-72As, MBTk-70s, and KPz-70s, for their ever expanding resources. These various tanks were also employed by various hotspots in the world, both by the MSF and the unit they have to fight.

T-72 Ural
The original design of the T-72 deployed in 1973. The T-72s were developed in Soviet Russia as a further development of the T-62, and incorporating various elements of the T-64A. In fact, it was designed to be an "economic model" of the T-62 because of the latter tank's high cost in production. The Peace Sentinels managed to procure some of these tanks via Vladimir Zadornov.

T-72A
The T-72A was a further improvement upon the original T-72 Ural. It was equipped with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) as well as a 12.7mm machine gun replacing the 7.62mm machine guns, and included a spotlight for detecting enemies nearby in dark environments, as well as electronic control and laser rangefinders, among other enhancements. Prototypes were supplied to the Peace Sentinels via Zadornov, and were eventually mass-produced and released into the Soviet military in 1979.

KPz 70
The KPz 70, also known as the Kampfpanzer 70, was the Western German version of a joint project between the West German Army and the United States Army to develop a new main battle tank to replace the aging, American-donated Leopard 1 tank arsenal for the West Germans. It was equipped with the latest advancements in tank technology, with spaced armor, an automatic reloading system, and nightvision equipment. In addition, it was armed with 20mm anti-aircraft gun as well as a 120mm softbore gun. Despite these advancements, however, it was cancelled in 1969 in favor of the Leopard 2, as well as various complications in testing and the high costs in production. The Peace Sentinels later utilized various KPz 70s, presumably via Zadornov.

MBTk 70/MBT 70
The MBTk 70, more commonly referred to as the MBT 70, was the American version of a joint project between the West German Army and the United States Army to develop a new main battle tank to both replace the aging M60 Pattons as well as to give a tank powerful enough to have a chance against the newly deployed Soviet T62 tanks. The MBT(k)70 had additions of fireproof bulkheads and a heavy blowout section on the ammo chamber to increase defense. In addition, it carried a 152mm XM-150 main gun that was able to fire both fire conventional shells as well as Shillelagh missiles. Despite these inherent advantages, however, the project was cancelled in 1971, namely due to Congress's irritiation at the delays, as well as the enormous costs to mass produce the weapons. The Peace Sentinels later utilized various KPz 70s, presumably via Zadornov.

Behind the scenes
Tanks appear throughout the Metal Gear series and are often fought by the player during boss battles.

A tank first appears in the original Metal Gear, which the player must destroy by placing land mines in its path. In the non-canon sequel Snake's Revenge, a tank guards the entrance to the enemy's main fortress, and must be destroyed in the same way. The Goliath heavy tank, which appears in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, was originally to have been fought by the player, but was cut from the final version.

Similar to the first Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid had the player being forced to fight a tank after getting through a landmine between the first and second destinations. Unlike the first Metal Gear, however, blowing up the treads with landmines only slows down the tank, so the player has to throw grenades at the gunners seat in order to destroy it.

In Metal Gear Acid 2, SaintLogic had an arsenal of Tanks. They were mainly used in an attempt to silence Koppelthorne after he rebelled against the company to gain the Lucindia File, although the majority of the SaintLogic tanks were destroyed by Koppelthorne via Metal Gear Chaioth Ha Qadesh. Army tanks were also used in the ending to blast Metal Gear Chaioth Ha Qadesh when it was seemingly going to launch a nuclear missile (which was in fact disarmed, and only contained Snake in the shell casing as a means for him to escape).

During the revisit to Shadow Moses in Twin Suns of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the tank in the Shadow Moses hangar building was redesigned to resemble an M1A2 tank, although the specific model for the M1 was never specified in Metal Gear Solid.



In Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, players can capture enemy tanks and use them in Outer Ops and Versus Ops. In various promotional spots prior to the game's release, there are various scenes in which tanks and other vehicles are shown, including: approximately six MBTK-70s and three LAV-type Cs crossing Los Cantos, with a Hind D flying overhead; several MBTK-70s, at least one LAV-typeC, and several soldiers travelling through a field; and at least ten MBTK-70s stationed at the Mine Base's mining pit, although most of these do not appear in the final game. During tank battles, shooting and destroying the drum cans/fuel canisters on the back of the tank will temporarily stall the vehicle, buying enough time to damage the vehicle without worrying about being hit by it. However, even if both fuel canisters are destroyed, it won't permanently halt the tank.

Appearances

 * Metal Gear
 * Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
 * Metal Gear Solid
 * Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
 * Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (cutscene)
 * Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
 * Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker