On June 25 the United States is expected to announce its intentions to give Ukraine another $150 million worth of munitions to defend against Russia. This additional aid follows previous shipments of U.S. military supplies, including several M1 Abrams tanks requested by Ukraine in early 2023.
The U.S. has used these third-generation main battle tanks since 1980. However, the country’s history with such heavy-duty land vehicles goes back to World War I, with the U.S. entering mass production of tanks in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, the country produced 90,000 tanks. These included famous models like the M3 Stuart, the M3 Lee, and the M4 Sherman. (Here is every tank in the history of the U.S. military.)
The M4 Sherman was also utilized during the Korean War. In addition, a series of Patton tanks debuted at that time and were mass-produced during the Vietnam War. Then came the first “Main Battle Tanks”, the M60s, with over 15,000 produced. However, these impressive tanks were retired after the Gulf War, and replaced by the M1 Abrams battle tank. (These are the most expensive land vehicles ever used by the U.S. military.)
To find out which of these was the U.S. Army’s most mass-produced tank of all time, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a list of tanks used by the U.S. military from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. Information regarding where the tank was made, its type, the size of its crew, and the wars it served in also came from Military Factory. We then ranked the tanks based on the total number produced.
Why We’re Covering This
Source: Articseahorse / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Tanks are expensive weapons to manufacture. The Abrams tank, for example, can cost around $10 million per unit. This information is important for those who are interested not only in national security but also in the United States’ relationships with its allies and the cost of maintaining those relationships. In addition, it provides insights into where U.S. tax dollars are used and which companies profit.
Here are the most-produced tanks in US history.
29. Ford Model 1918 3-ton (M1918)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 15
- Year entered service: 1918
- Wars served: World War I
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Light tank combat vehicle
- Crew size: 2
28. M2 Medium Tank
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 112
- Year entered service: 1940
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Medium tank
- Crew size: 6
27. M1 Combat Car
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 113
- Year entered service: 1933
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Light tank
- Crew size: 4
26. Tank Mark VIII (International / Liberty)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 125
- Year entered service: 1919
- Wars served: World War I
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Armored fighting vehicle
- Crew size: 11
25. Sherman DD (Duplex Drive)
- Number produced: 200
- Year entered service: 1944
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Type: Amphibious combat tank tracked combat vehicle
- Crew size: 5
24. Sherman Jumbo (M4A3E2)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 254
- Year entered service: 1944
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Up-armored medium tank / assault tank
- Crew size: 5
23. M103
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 300
- Year entered service: 1957
- Wars served: N/A
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Heavy tank
- Crew size: 5
22. M2 Light Tank
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 696
- Year entered service: 1935
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Light tank
- Crew size: 4
21. M22 Locust
- Number produced: 830
- Year entered service: 1943
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Airborne infantry light tank
- Crew size: 3
20. Marmon-Herrington CTLS
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 875
- Year entered service: 1935
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Light tank / tankette
- Crew size: 2
19. M1917 6-ton
Source: 101561334@N08 / Public Domain / Flickr
- Number produced: 950
- Year entered service: 1918
- Wars served: World War I
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Light two-man combat tank
- Crew size: 2
18. Sherman Crab
- Number produced: 1,000
- Year entered service: 1942
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Type: Special purpose mine flail tank tracked support vehicle
- Crew size: 5
17. Tank Mk V
Source: Ryzhkov_Sergey / iStock via Getty Images
- Number produced: 1,004
- Year entered service: 1918
- Wars served: World War I
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Type: Heavy tank / armored fighting vehicle
- Crew size: 8
16. M46 Patton (General Patton)
Source: signalcorpsarchive / Public Domain / Flickr
- Number produced: 1,160
- Year entered service: 1950
- Wars served: Korean War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Medium tank tracked combat vehicle
- Crew size: 5
15. M551 Sheridan
Source: 101561334@N08 / Public Domain / Flickr
- Number produced: 1,562
- Year entered service: 1968
- Wars served: Vietnam War, Gulf War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Armored reconnaissance airborne assault vehicle
- Crew size: 4
14. M4A4 Sherman Firefly
- Number produced: 2,100
- Year entered service: 1944
- Wars served: World War II, Korean War
- Country of origin: United Kingdom
- Type: Tank destroyer / medium tank
- Crew size: 5
13. M4A3(76)W HVSS Sherman (Easy Eight)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 2,617
- Year entered service: 1944
- Wars served: World War II, Korean War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Upped-gunned medium tank
- Crew size: 5
12. Renault Ft-17
Source: Three Lions / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
- Number produced: 3,694
- Year entered service: 1917
- Wars served: World War I
- Country of origin: France
- Type: Light tank
- Crew size: 2
11. M41 Walker Bulldog
- Number produced: 3,728
- Year entered service: 1951
- Wars served: Korean War, Vietnam War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Light tank tracked combat vehicle
- Crew size: 4
10. M26 Pershing
Source: wsmahar / E+ via Getty Images
- Number produced: 4,550
- Year entered service: 1945
- Wars served: World War II, Korean War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Heavy tank / medium tank
- Crew size: 5
9. M24 Chaffee
- Number produced: 4,731
- Year entered service: 1944
- Wars served: World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Reconnaissance light tank
- Crew size: 5
8. M3 Lee / M3 Grant
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 6,258
- Year entered service: 1941
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Medium tank
- Crew size: 6
7. M47 (Patton II)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 8,676
- Year entered service: 1951
- Wars served: N/A
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Medium tank tracked combat vehicle
- Crew size: 5
6. M5 Stuart
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 8,884
- Year entered service: 1942
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Light tank
- Crew size: 4
5. M1 Abrams
Source: Rockfinder / iStock via Getty Images
- Number produced: 10,000
- Year entered service: 1980
- Wars served: Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Main battle tank
- Crew size: 4
4. M48 Patton
Source: svarshik / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Number produced: 12,000
- Year entered service: 1952
- Wars served: Vietnam War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Medium tank
- Crew size: 4
3. M60 (Patton)
Source: FuzzMartin / iStock via Getty Images
- Number produced: 15,000
- Year entered service: 1960
- Wars served: Vietnam War, Gulf War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Main battle tank
- Crew size: 4
2. M3 Stuart
Source: Thomas_Brock / iStock via Getty Images
- Number produced: 22,744
- Year entered service: 1941
- Wars served: World War II
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Light tank
- Crew size: 4
1. M4 Sherman
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Number produced: 50,000
- Year entered service: 1942
- Wars served: World War II, Korean War
- Country of origin: United States
- Type: Medium tank
- Crew size: 5
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