During the First World War, in order to break through the defensive positions composed of trenches, barbed wire and machine gun firepower points and break the stalemate of positional warfare, the belligerents urgently needed to develop a new weapon that combines firepower, mobility and protection. English E D。 Swenton found in an accident that if the tractor was equipped with guns or machine guns, it would be invincible? In 1915, the British government adopted E D。 At Swinton's suggestion, the prototype of the tank was trial produced using automobile, tractor, gun manufacturing and metallurgical technology.

In 1916, the "Mark" I type tank was produced. Its outline is rhombic, and it is rigidly suspended. There are protruding gun bases on the track frames on both sides of the vehicle body. Two tracks bypass the vehicle body from the top, and a pair of steering wheels protrude from the rear of the vehicle. The tank has 8 crew members, including "male" and "female". The "male" is equipped with two 57mm guns and four machine guns, while the "female" is equipped with only five machine guns. On September 15, 1916, 60 "Mark" I tanks were put into the Somme River Campaign for the first time. At that time, for the sake of confidentiality, Britain described this new weapon as a "tank" (English "tank") for delivering water to the front. As a result, the name is still used today, and "tank" is the transliteration of the word. In 1918, France also developed the Renault tank, which also made great contributions in World War I.

Before the 1960s, tanks were mostly divided into light, medium and heavy according to the full weight of combat and artillery caliber. Generally, light tanks weigh 10-20 tons, and the caliber of artillery is not more than 85 mm. They are mainly used for reconnaissance and alert, and can also be used for combat under specific conditions. Medium tanks weigh 20-40 tons and the maximum caliber of artillery is 105 mm. They are used to carry out the main operational tasks of the armored forces. Heavy tanks weigh 40~60 tons, and the maximum caliber of artillery is 125 mm. They are mainly used to support medium-sized tanks in battle.

The heaviest tank is the mouse tank built by Germany during World War II. It is three or four times heavier than modern tanks, reaching 188 tons, 9 meters long, 3.66 meters high, 3.67 meters wide, and 200 mm thick front armor. It can climb 30 degrees of slopes, cross 4.5 meters of trenches, climb 0.72 meters of vertical obstacles, and wade 2 meters of water. It has 8 crew members. The tank was equipped with 150 mm guns and two machine guns. Light tanks are only 10-20 tons, mostly amphibious tanks, equipped with 85 mm caliber artillery, mainly used for airborne or marine use. Britain once divided tanks into infantry tanks and patrol tanks. The nickname "Land Cruiser" of tank also comes from this. Infantry tanks have thick armor and poor mobility, and are used to accompany infantry operations. The cruising tank has thin armor and strong mobility, and is used in mobile operations.

Most modern tanks are a combination of a traditional body and a single rotating turret. According to the installation position of main components, it is generally divided into four parts: manipulation, combat, power transmission and action.

The control part (cab) is usually located in the front of the tank, and there are control mechanisms, detection instruments, driving chairs, etc; The battle part (battle room) is located in the middle of the tank, generally including the turret, turret seat ring and the space below it. There are tank weapons, fire control systems, communication equipment, three prevention devices, fire suppression and explosion suppression devices and passenger seats, and the turret is equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns, projective smoke curtain devices, etc; The power transmission part (power room) is usually located at the rear of the tank, which contains the engine and its auxiliary system, transmission device and its control mechanism, intake and exhaust louvers, etc; The moving part is located under the wing plates on both sides of the car body, with crawler propulsion device and suspension device.

In terms of general layout, most tanks have a cab in the front, a battle room in the middle, a power transmission room in the rear of the vehicle body and a longitudinal engine. Some tanks have engines placed transversely, and some tanks have power transmission devices arranged in the front of the car body. The tank crew consists of 4 people, who are responsible for command, shooting, ammunition loading, driving and other tasks. Some tanks use automatic tank guns

Since the 1960s, the Russian T-90 main battle tank has been reclassified into light, medium and heavy tanks. Medium and heavy tanks are also the main force of the armored forces of various countries, also known as "main battle tank" or "main battle tank" (MBT).

The total combat weight of main battle tanks is generally 40 to 70 tons. Since the 1980s, the weight of main battle tanks in various countries has been rapidly rising. At present, the caliber of artillery is more than 105 mm, and the smooth bore gun has also become the first choice for many countries to design a new generation of main battle tanks in the 1980s to enhance the destructive power of armor. Typical models are T-72 of the former Soviet Union, Leopard 2 of Germany, M1 Abran of the United States, etc.

Between the two world wars, it was the exploration and experiment period of tank tactics and technology development ideas. Various types of tanks were developed and equipped in various countries. Light and ultra light tanks were once popular, and tires that could be interchanged by tracks and wheels also appeared in the structure - crawler light tanks, amphibious ultra light tanks, and medium and heavy tanks with multiple turrets. The tanks in this period mainly include: British "Matilda" infantry tanks and "Crusader" cruising tanks, French "Renault" R-35 light, "Soma" S-35 medium tanks, Sutit-26 light, Т - 28, T-34 medium tanks, German PzKpfw II light, IV medium tanks, etc. In World War II, German tanks were generally equipped with 88mm smooth bore guns with high firepower, which made Allied tanks unable to parry.

Compared with the early tanks, these tanks have significantly improved their tactical and technical performance. The total combat weight is 9~28 tons, the unit power is 5.1~13.2 kW/ton, the maximum speed is 20~43 km/h, and the maximum armor thickness is 25~90 mm. The caliber of the artillery is mostly 37~47 mm, and the muzzle velocity of the shell is 610~850 m/s. The armour piercing projectile can penetrate 40~50 mm thick steel armor; Some tanks installed 75 or 76mm caliber short barrel howitzers to enhance their support firepower, until the development of multi weapon and multi turret tanks with small caliber cannon, medium caliber howitzer and several machine guns in one vehicle; Start to use telephoto and periscope

The tank is a tracked armored combat vehicle with direct fire, high cross-country mobility and strong armor protection. It is the main assault weapon in ground operations, which is mainly used to fight with enemy tanks and other armored vehicles, and can also suppress and eliminate anti tank weapons, destroy field fortifications and eliminate effective forces.

In the 1950s, China introduced the production technology of T-54A tank from the former Soviet Union to develop and produce the Type 59 medium-sized tank. The first vehicle was produced in 58, and the finalized production began in 59. After more than 30 years of transformation and improvement, its improved series was derived. In the expansion of its use, several variants were developed, forming a vehicle family based on the 59 tank. In the year of its birth, the Type 59 tank was more advanced in firepower, mobility and protection than the U.S. M48, Japan 61 and other tanks in service at that time. From the perspective of protection and mobility, it is also superior to the British Sun Chulun tank.

Type 69 tank was developed in 1969, and was successfully developed and equipped in 1974. Type 69 is the first type of tank developed by China itself. It is equipped with about 1000 tanks and is known as the "first generation tank". The development of Type 69 has improved China's tank development level and trained a group of tank development talents, which is of great significance to the further development of China's tanks.