Many of the “worst” tanks are badly designed or built, their flaws hidden for decades before finally being revealed in actual combat. Tank warfare is highly competitive, and bad tanks are quickly destroyed in wartime. The armies of the world operate a grand total of 73,000 tanks of all types. The result has been six weeks of intense, grinding warfare, the scale of which has not been seen in Europe since World War II, with tanks fighting on both sides. In late February, at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s command, more than 1,000 tanks marched on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The Russian invasion of Ukraine reintroduced Europe to something many thought had been relegated to the proverbial trash heap of history: large-scale, mechanized warfare.
Some tanks, however, are either poorly designed, poorly built, or should have headed to the scrap heap a long time ago.In a world where there’s no room for second place, most tanks are actually quite good.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put a new focus on mechanized land warfare.