The Global Firepower company has published a ranking of countries by the number of battle tanks for 2023. The Visual Capitalist website presented the rating in the form of an infographic.
The ranking includes heavy battle tanks such as the M1A2 Abrams or Leopard 2, as well as medium and light tanks such as the Thai Stingray. These figures do not include armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
Russia
Nominally owning 12,556 tanks, Russia has the largest fleet in its arsenal. This is more than the combined number of tanks in North Korea (6,645) and the United States (5,500), which took second and third place. However, the number by itself does not reflect the real state of affairs.
Course
EXCEL FOR BUSINESS
Master Excel in just 1.5 months and increase the efficiency of business processes in your company.
REGISTER!
According to 2021, Russia’s main combat tank core consisted of 2,600 T-72, T-80 and T-90 vehicles, a large part of which was disabled during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this regard, only a quarter of them can be considered modern tanks (T-72B3/B3M, T-80-BVM, T-90A/M), equipped with modern fire control and aiming systems. Morally and physically outdated T-62s were seen in combat and during transportation. Most likely, earlier models are included in the statistics.
The unsatisfactory state of Russian reserves should also be taken into account. In fact, many Russian tanks exist only on paper. The new Armata-type tanks are also largely virtual, seen only at parades in Moscow and at test sites in Crimea in a small number of copies, placed there to create a propaganda image and raise the morale of the mobilized. If a tank does not participate in fierce military operations that last almost a year – does it exist as a combat unit?
In addition, it is necessary to take into account the known “truthfulness” of Russian sources, both official and “independent”. In fact, they are nothing more than means of propaganda.
According to a Pentagon official speaking in early November 2022, Russia has lost half of its tanks since February 24, 2022.
North Korea
The second largest tank fleet in the world is also nominally owned by North Korea, with 6,645 tanks.
The DPRK has retained an armored capability since the Korean War of 1950-1953, after which the North Korean army re-armed itself with the Soviet T-34/85 and then the T-55S and Chinese Type 59 tanks. Although they are several decades old, they are likely , are still in operation, alongside local developments such as Chonma-ho and Pokpung-ho.
Much of what was said about Russia can be applied to North Korea. In this country, there are much less open statistics and no one has a real state of the technical park. Most likely, the “formidable” North Korean tank armada will lose to many countries lower in the top. Including advanced arms manufacturer South Korea, with its fourth-generation K2 Black Panther tanks, considered one of the most advanced in the world.
China
China’s army has a fleet of 4,950 battle tanks, the fourth largest in the world, but it consists of both modern and outdated vehicles.
China’s most modern main battle tank, the third-generation Type 99, is a domestic development. It is armed with a main gun with a diameter of 125 mm, which is slightly larger than the standard 120 mm of tanks of NATO countries, and is equipped with a diesel engine with a capacity of 1500 hp. The Type 99 tank is strong and maneuverable. An upgraded version of the Type 99A debuted in the mid-2000s.
However, experts have doubts that it “reaches” the fourth generation tanks that are in service in many countries.
Thanks to a colossal military budget of $293 billion and significant industrial espionage, China’s defense industry is able to produce military equipment at a fairly high level and in large quantities. The country has even begun testing unmanned tanks, including the Type 59 in 2018 and the lightweight Type 15 in 2019.
Ukraine
Despite the fact that our country took only 13th place with 1,890 tanks, Ukrainian forces successfully stopped and then pushed back the numerically superior enemy.
Initially armed with modernized Soviet T-64s, as well as T-72s, including those transferred from Poland and the Czech Republic, Ukrainian tank forces were replenished with trophy military equipment left by Russian soldiers. At certain moments of the war, the number of tanks in service was in a significant surplus compared to its beginning – despite heavy losses.
Oryx, a Dutch OSINT group, says Ukraine captured 533 Russian tanks by early 2023, including a small number of T-90s. A representative of the US Ministry of Defense stated that Ukraine may now have “more tanks on the battlefield than Russia.” Taking into account the already planned and possible deliveries of modern Western tanks, the situation may change significantly.
The material is prepared on the basis of the Visual Capitalist article, with a correction for the somewhat naive attitude of Western journalists towards Russian “military power” and the statistics of other similar countries. We also urge you to be critical of statistical data – the numbers differ significantly among different analysts, and we can only say for sure that few people know the exact numbers. As an alternative example, we will give an infographic on the question from UA War Infographics.
