Looking for a Generic Unit Name

[Kal-el]

I am trying to think of a generic name for the main battle tanks available between WWII and today.

I am calling the WWII Tanks - Armor and the current MBT's Modern Armor. What should I call tanks that were used for the forty+ years in between, such as the US M-60? With all the tanks out there it would be a shame not to incorporate them somehow.

Any help will be appreciated.

Edit:
WWI = Tanks >
WWII = Armor >
Cold War = M-60/T55 >
Today = Modern Armor

 

[utahjazz7]

Hmm . . . you're using armor and modern armor already. I would call 'em tanks.

 

[Akula]

Perhaps cold war armor?

 

[thestonesfan]

I just go with Main Battle Tank, since I think the M-60 was the first tank to be called that.

Either that, or call it "Modern Armor", and call the current Modern Armor "Moderner Armor".

 

[andrew510]

Originally posted by Kal-el
I am trying to think of a generic name for the main battle tanks available between WWII and today.

I am calling the WWII Tanks - Armor and the current MBT's Modern Armor. What should I call tanks that were used for the forty+ years in between, such as the US M-60? With all the tanks out there it would be a shame not to incorporate them somehow.

Any help will be appreciated.

it is simple, MBTs

 

[Kal-el]

I am using the Tank moniker for the armor available during WWI.

If the M-60 was the first to be labeled as an MBT then that would be the perfect name for them.

Another question: Would the T-55 be the appropriate Soviet tank as opposition for the M-60?

 

[Klyde182]

Here are some US X Tanks.....
this one is the MX-70 MBT a co-venture w/ Germany in the 60's....

 

[utahjazz7]

You could maybe call WWI tanks "tracked vehicles." That would free up "tanks." I do like "MBT" though.

 

[Kal-el]

But see, I like that tanks got their name from the fact that while the Brits were developing the first prototypes back in the day, they covered them with a tarp labeled water "tanks" and the name stuck. So it seems appropriate that the first apearance of the unit be called a Tank.

 

[Klyde182]

Here's the X tank T-37 W/ 75mm L41 gun

 

[ripptide]

Kal, I think you'd be able to keep it simple with -> M-60 being called Tank or Armour, and the M-60 and after being called MBT or Modern Armour. And yes, the M-60 would roughly equate with the T-54/55 series (or their foreign derivatives) up to about the Russian T-64 (although in truth, the M-60 variants and the T-54/55 variants are still widely used to this day). The T-72, 80 and 90 would be on par with the Abrahms, Challenger, and Leo 2. Just my humble 2 pence worth

 

[Kal-el]

Ok, I guess I should have made it more clear that I the way the progression works is like this:

WWI = Tanks > WWII = Armor > Cold War = M-60/T55 > Today = Modern Armor

 

[Klyde182]

Sorry guys that the pics are so small.... these tanks were forrunners to M47, & M48, M1.
Here guys is the site I got pics from check it out
http://armorfoto.homestead.com/UST37.html
here's the MBT 70 http://www.battletanks.com/mbt70.htm
http://home.att.net/~dave.pride/Army/us_ft_knox_09.htm

 

[ripptide]

ahh I see where you're going with this Kal. how about

WW1 - Light or Early Armour, WW2 - Armour, Cold War-MBT, Current-Modern Armour

The only reason I'd hesitate at using M-60/T-55 as a "class" name is because they specifically mean a particular tank (unless of course those are the only 2 available during that period in the scen).

 

[Kal-el]

Yeah, I don't want to use the name of the tank as the class name. That is for certain. I think I will go with MBT for the Cold War Tanks.

Thanks guys.

 

[Ozymandias]

Originally posted by ripptide
The T-72, 80 and 90 would be on par with the Abrahms, Challenger, and Leo 2. Just my humble 2 pence worth

I'm not so sure about that -- the T-72 was widely regarded as a failure (not that much of an upgrade on the T-64).

Personally, I would use "Combined Arms Armor" (or "Blitzkrieg For The Common Man"), although I like "MBT" as well.

What really delineates "modern" armor from the cold war (M-60 etc.) are (1) fire control systems (2) cross-country mobility (3) depleted uranium shells and (4) reactive ("Chobham") armor.

I might even suggest using "Modern" armor for the cold war era (many nations -- PRC etc. -- still have M60s et. al. deployed) and "Advanced Armor" for the modern day.

As for it's availability, since so much of the furious success of the present-day US forces is information based, I've introduced an advance called "GPS" which makes these units available roughly concurrent with Stealth technology.

-Oz

 

[Kal-el]

hmmm, advanced armor might be even better. Especially since, as it has been mentioned the M-60 and its ilk are still in use by a large number of the worlds armies.

 

[GEChallenger]

Ahh... coming up with decent names for generic units. What fun!

I'd go with MBT as well.

The tank line in Civ3K currently goes
Light Tank=>Tank=>MBT=>Armor.

Perhaps "Light Tank" designation is not entirely accurate, but I never much liked the name Modern Armor for modern tanks. Just my personal preference.

 

[Symphony D.]

I've been contemplating my own modifications to PTW and have come across this issue as well.

I'd suggest:

Tank -> Medium Tank -> Battle Tank -> Modern Battle Tank

The first tanks were simply tanks. No lights, no heavies, no mediums.

The vast majority of tanks in WWII that are well known (Sherman, T-34/85, Tiger) were roughly all of Medium caliber.

The Cold War era tanks were all "Battle" tanks, there weren't as many diverse weight classes.

Finally, we have the Modern Battle Tank, which is fairly homogenous from one country's to the next.

Also, Challenger 2/Leopard 2/Abrams M1A2 may be chronologically similar to the T-90, but they could tear those things up.

I don't really like Medium Tank though. Attack Tank or something to that effect would be better.

 

[mrtn]

Modern and Advanced sounds good. But that's just my 20 öre.