The U.S. military was using tanks by the end of World War I, although these early prototypes were often cumbersome on the battlefield and had a tendency to be more dangerous than protective to their crews. Between the two World Wars, however, tank technology improved to provide greater speed and agility, as well as advanced weaponry. Tanks rose to prominence as a major element of land-based offensives during the Second World War. (Here is every tank in the history of the U.S. military.)
An arsenal of tanks was built by the U.S. military between 1939 and 1945. The M3 Stuart light tank, one of the most prolific tanks of the era, was used early in the war but proved no match against German armored vehicles and was quickly replaced by newer designs. The M4 Sherman medium tank, however, would go down in history as the main player in the Allied offensive. About 50,000 M4 Shermans were built between 1942 and 1945. Easy to maintain and relatively cheap to produce, M4 Sherman tanks are the most mass-produced tanks ever made by the U.S. military.
Tanks are ranked according to how many in total were produced. To determine the most mass-produced tanks in U.S. military history, 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. Data on the type of tank, country of origin, crew size, and wars served also came from Military Factory.
After World War II, M4 Shermans featured prominently in the Korean War, along with the first in a new line of tanks named after General Patton. By the time the Vietnam War broke out, the Patton family of tanks included two of the most produced tanks after Shermans and Stuarts: M48 Pattons, the main workhorses of the Vietnam War, and M60s, the first tanks with the designation “Main Battle Tank.”
M60s were retired after the Gulf War but before this, over 15,000 M60s were produced. These main battle tanks have since been replaced by another mass-produced tank: the M1 Abrams battle tank, one of the most expensive land vehicles ever used by the U.S. military.
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 / 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 / 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 / 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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