This definition of the main battle tank is very much dependent on the current military doctrine of the host country. Each army is making its own trade offs of v

This definition of the main battle tank is very much dependent on the current military doctrine of the host country. Each army is making its own trade offs of vehicle weight/armor vs speed vs caliber of the gun. - In the US an MBT is very heavy and has a very long gun, in order destroy tanks that are very var away. - In Russia an MBT is much lighter, so as not to get stuck in the mud. - In Israel an MBT has a shorter gun and has more armor, because it really is mostly used for infantry support - but it also has to be able to stand against enemy tanks.