tank (redirected from Main battle tanks)

tank

Heavily armed and armoured combat vehicle that moves on two continuous metal chains called tracks. It is usually equipped with a cannon mounted in a revolving turret as well as lighter automatic weapons. The British developed tanks during World War I to fill the need for an armoured assault vehicle that could cross the muddy, uneven terrain of the trench battle zone. They first saw combat at the Battle of the Somme (1916). In World War II, Germany's tank force was initially the most effective in Europe because it was organized into fast-moving massed formations with great striking power. After World War II, tanks became larger and more heavily armed. Most modern main battle tanks weigh more than 50 tons yet are capable of road speeds of 30–40 mph (50–70 kph). The standard main armament is a 120-mm gun, which fires armour-piercing projectiles; laser range-finders and infrared imaging devices aid in sighting.

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tank

1. Photog

a. a light-tight container inside which a film can be processed in daylight, the solutions and rinsing waters being poured in and out without light entering

b. any large dish or container used for processing a number of strips or sheets of film

2. Slang chiefly US

a. a jail

b. a jail cell

3. Austral a dam formed by excavation

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tank [taŋk]

(electronics)

A unit of acoustic delay-line storage containing a set of channels, each forming a separate recirculation path.

The heavy metal envelope of a large mercury-arc rectifier or other gas tube having a mercury-pool cathode.

tank circuit

(engineering)

A large container for holding, storing, or transporting a liquid.