Military Heavyweights: The 10 Countries with the Most Tanks

Would you like to find out where the countries with the most tanks are located? It is common knowledge that tanks continue to be the primary force when it comes to land armies, since they can unleash a great deal of firepower and are highly resistant against enemy attacks. Having a huge arsenal of tanks is thus particularly useful when defending or attacking territory by land and even more so when the enemy does not have strong aerial capabilities. Tanks might be powerful, but they are basically sitting ducks for fighter jets. Hence, modern armies tend to look for a balance between land, air, and naval units in order to ensure they are less vulnerable.

Some of the countries on our list however do not seem to have learned this strategic lesson and have an abnormally large amount of tanks. At the same time, these nations lack proper air forces, making them very vulnerable despite the fact that they are heavily armed. Yet this is not simply a strategic miscalculation, but is tied to the difficulty involved in developing modern aircraft. Unlike tanks, which are relatively easy to acquire and even produce, advanced fighter jets are extremely expensive and require a high degree of technical know-how. Thus, many countries have opted to pour their resources into armored vehicles, instead of pursuing what seems like a distant dream.

In a previous article we took a glance at the 9 largest private armies in the world and discovered that size and efficiency are two very different things. The same applies for the countries with the most tanks, in the sense that they are not necessarily the most advanced or most powerful armies around simply because of their land units. Nevertheless, it is always good to have tanks and they are very effective and potent weapons which cannot be disregarded by any means. Thus, we now present you with our list of the top ten countries according to their tank strength, which is calculated by adding up the total number of main battle tanks, tank destroyers, and light tanks.

10. India – 3,569 tanks

The first country on our list is not necessarily the first that comes to mind when thinking of military strength and tanks, yet one would be wrong to ignore India’s military strength. Constant border clashes with Pakistan in the Kashmir region have not only led to tension, but have resulted in open combat in the past, meaning India’s army must always be as strong as possible.

Some more surprises are forthcoming on the following pages as our list of the countries with the most tanks continues.