The Biggest US Army Tanks Ever

Special Report

Published: November 20, 2023 10:20 am

Last Updated: November 20, 2023 3:47 pm

Tanks have been used in battle for more than 100 years. Invented by the British in September 1915, the first prototype was called Little Willie. Not exactly a success, it was followed by a second prototype known as Big Willie. This second prototype was deemed battle-ready by 1916 and made its battle debut by the British on September 15, 1916, during the Battle of Somme.

The sheer size of a tank has made it the most intimidating weapon on the battlefield since its inception. Besides its original intended use, Hollywood has utilized the massive power and force of these armored vehicles in many motion pictures. Few motion pictures are able to capture the terror in the eyes of soldiers when the deafening sound of French St. Chamond tanks emerge from the smoke, clanking slowly toward the German lines in the Oscar-winning film “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

The first official American tank developed and mass-produced was the six-ton M1917, which was based on the French FT-17 Renault tank. Although this initial tank was never used in combat, it was used by the US Army until 1931 when it was phased out.

To determine the biggest tanks in U.S. military history, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed tanks used by the U.S. military as well as their attributes from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. Tanks are ranked according to their total volume. Out of 48 tanks produced, 42 were made by the United States. The Abrams tank is currently the only tank type in use by the U.S. military. There is a new prototype scheduled for 2025, the Textron Systems RIPSAW M5.

Nine of the 10 biggest U.S. tanks were also among the heaviest in the U.S. arsenal. The largest tank based on total volume ever built and used by the U.S. military was constructed the year after the end of the First World War. It also boasted the largest crew size, 11. (See every tank in the history of the U.S. military.)

Six of the most-produced tanks, and among the biggest in U.S. history, rumbled off the assembly lines of President Franklin Roosevelt’s “arsenal of democracy” during World War II. The largest mass-produced tank, though not the biggest, was the M4 Sherman, of which 50,000 were built. Besides World War II, the workhorse Sherman also saw action during the Korean War.

The heaviest tank in the U.S. arsenal, and the only one used by the U.S. military today, remains the M1 Abrams. It is America’s main battle tank, weighing in at more than 139,000 pounds, and has seen action in numerous wars. It debuted during the Gulf War and has been used in the Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War. The battle wagon is scheduled to buttress the Ukrainian army in its fight to throw back Russian invaders. There are approximately 10,300 M1s built since the tank first entered service in 1980. (See The Newest Tanks of the Modern Era.)

Here are the biggest tanks in the history of the US military.