Tanks are armored warfare vehicles designed and built specifically for front-line combats. They are known for their fearsome firepower, all terrain mobility and highly advanced defensive capabilities.

In the 20th century, main battle tanks (MBTs) became essential to the art of modern warfare. They were first used by the British Army on Sept. 15, 1916 at Flers-Courcelette, during the Battle of the Somme, as an effective means to break through the deadlock of the trench fighting. Since then, these combat vehicles have profoundly changed the way wars are fought.

Following is a top ten of the best tanks in the world, as rated by a leading U.S. military magazine. The rankings are based on the vehicles' operational mobility, their offensive and defensive capabilities.

   T-90A/S (Russia)  俄罗斯T-90A(S)

 Weight: 46.5 tons; Length: 9.53m

Width: 3.78m; Height: 2.22m

Crew: 3

Primary Armament: 125mm smooth bore gun with autoloader

Operational Range: 550–700 km; Speed: 65 km/h

The T-90 is a Russian main battle tank (MBT) derived from the T-72 design, featuring improvements in its firepower, mobility and protection. The T-90, which came into use in 1992, is manufactured by the Uralvagonzavod Plant in Nizhniy Tagil, Russia. It is currently the most advanced tank used by the Russian Ground Forces and Naval Infantry. At present, Russia operates about 500 of these MBTs. Sources claim that more than 1,600 T-90 MBTs of all variants have been built. The T-90A, sometimes called the T-90 Vladimir, is the Russian army's version, featuring a welded turret, V-92S2 engine and ESSA thermal viewer. The T-90S is the export version of the T-90A. A T-90 tank was worth US$2.77- 4.25 million in 2011.

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