Counting down from 50 to the very best at number 1, Top 50 Tanks features the greatest armored fighting vehicles from World War I to present day.

It is one of the ironies of Soviet tank development that a country opposed to free enterprise and capitalism was largely reliant on influences from Britain and the USA for many of its early designs. However, unhindered by many of the tactical constraints that affected tank development in the West, the Red Army was able to acquire and develop technology that was under-rated in both Britain and the USA. From Britain, the famous manufacturer Vickers produced a Six-Ton light tank; effectively rejected by the War Office, one example was acquired by the Russians and this formed the basis of the Russian T-26 of 1931. Further British designs also influenced the later light tanks, equipment which was pivotal to the Red Army during its campaigns in Manchuria, Finland and against the initial German assault in 1941. In the USA, Walter Christie was also largely ignored as a designer but, as with Vickers, his designs came to be highly important. His influence was seen in the 'BT' - short for 'Bystrochodri' or 'Fast Tank' - series of light-medium tanks that was first introduced in 1932. The BT series saw service in Spain, Manchuria, Finland and in the defense of Russia itself in 1941. The critical aspect of the Christie design was that the vehicles were capable of operating both with nor without tracks; in the latter case eight road wheels carried the weight of the vehicle, with steering being achieved via a steering wheel acting in conjunction with the clutch/brake system.In the second of the new 'Soviet Tanks' series, Mikhail Baryatinsky provides the reader with a comprehensive account of the development and operational record of Soviet light tanks. Utilizing photographs, line drawings and speciallyprepared artworks, he provides a detailed portrait of these highly successful tanks.Aimed at the modeler, military historian and war gamer, the new 'Soviet Tanks' series is designed to provide, probably for the first time in the English language, authoritative information on the classic Soviet tank designs of the 20th century. The series will be required reading for all those interested in the development of armored warfare over the past 100 years.

Armor expert Zaloga enters the battle over the best tanks of World War II with this heavy-caliber blast of a book armed with more than forty years of research. • Provocative but fact-based rankings of the tanks that fought the Second World War • Breaks the war into eight periods and declares Tanker's Choice and Commander's Choice for each • Champions include the German Panzer IV and Tiger, Soviet T-34, American Pershing, and a few surprises • Compares tanks' firepower, armor protection, and mobility as well as dependability, affordability, tactics, training, and overall combat performance • Relies on extensive documentation from archives, government studies, and published sources—much of which has never been published in English before • Supported by dozens of charts and diagrams and hundreds of photos

Describes research that evaluated the ability of the present design criteria (API 650) to ensure the desired frangible joint behavior. Particular questions include: evaluation of the area inequality as a method to predict the buckling response of the compression ring; effect of roof slope, tank diameter, and weld size on the frangible joint; effect of the relative strength of the roof-to-shell joint compared to the shell-to-bottom joint. Charts, tables, graphs and photos. References.

Describes and illustrates combat robots and fighter planes used in the BattleTech series of games.

Explore 300 major tanks from World War I to the present day, arranged by type--from battle tanks and tank destroyers to armored cars, amphibious vehicles, and anti-aircraft guns. Each vehicle receives a full-page entry featuring a color side-profile illustration; a detailed specifications table with country of origin, crew, weight, dimensions, armor, armament, powerplant, and performance; and information on the tank's development and history.

This book examines changing international dynamics through the lens of some of the leading think tanks from the emerging powers in the world. Through twelve case studies, the authors explore how security and international affairs think tanks in emerging powers collaborate with their policy makers to meet current and anticipate future foreign policy and security challenges. Overall, the book illustrates and analyzes how think tanks in a variety of political and economic contexts are able to contribute to their respective policy-making processes. Included in the discussions are the problems or successes that each respective nation’s think tanks face, where they feel the emerging nation will be positioned, and where they are failing to meet the policy challenges they face. The book provides a comprehensive look at successful foreign policy formulation to serve as examples for other think tanks in similar political and economic conditions.

China's momentous socioeconomic transformation is not taking place in an intellectual vacuum: Chinese scholars and public intellectuals are actively engaged in fervent discussions about the country's domestic and foreign policies, demographic constraints, and ever-growing integration into the world community. This book focuses on China's major think tanks where policies are initiated, and on a few prominent thinkers who influence the way in which elites and the general public understand and deal with the various issues confronting the country.The book examines a number of factors contributing to the rapid rise of Chinese think tanks in the reform era. These include the leadership's call for 'scientific decision-making,' the need for specialized expertise in economics and finance as China becomes an economic powerhouse, the demand for opinion leaders in the wake of a telecommunication revolution driven by social media, the accumulation of human and financial capital, and the increasing utility of the 'revolving door' nature of think tanks.It has been widely noted that think tanks and policy advisors have played an important role in influencing the strategic thinking of the top leadership, including the formation of ideas such as the 'Three Represents,' 'China's peaceful rise,' 'One Belt, One Road,' and the founding of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). In 2014, President Xi Jinping made think tank development a national strategy, and he claimed that 'building a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics is an important and pressing mission.'Though the media outside China has often reported on this important development, it has all but escaped rigorous scholarly scrutiny. This book will categorize Chinese think tanks by their various forms, such as government agencies, university-based think tanks, private think tanks, business research centers or consultancies, and civil society groups. It will not only analyze the problems and challenges in China's think tank development, but also reveal the power of ideas.

44 illustrations of the "Little Willie" (1915), Rolls Royce armored scout car (1916), German Panzer III (1940), American M4 Sherman tank (1942), more Captions.