Best modern day tank

[Montana Mud]

The Merkava series tank goes back to 1982 Lebanon war. 9yrs battle experiance before Desert Storm. I agree that it is one of the finest tanks made by the nation that re-invented tank warfare.

I pick the Abrams over the Challenger only because I think it offers a little bit better protection. All the western tanks seem to be equal in firepower but at +/-70 tons the Abarms has no equal and it uses the same armor technology as the Challenger. Since the Abrams uses a lighter turbine engine the savings on wieght is given to the armor.

The downside of course is that the Abrams has horrid miledge and it's weight hampers deployment and needs more support (Fuel trucks, Bridge engineers and such).

For me protection trumps mpg.

Tim (Montana Mud)