Tanks are among the most iconic weapons of war. When most people hear the word "tank," they picture a wide, flat armored vehicle with caterpillar treads and a rotating cannon. These machines symbolize power, strength, and heavy armor that can withstand small-arms fire. However, tanks come in many shapes and sizes, each suited to different combat roles. As with any invention, experimentation is necessary before a final product emerges. Throughout the history of modern warfare, army engineers have developed numerous test builds. Some became legendary, like the M1 Abrams, while others never left the prototype phase. You may have heard of the British TOG2 or the German Panzer VIII Maus, weighing hundreds of tons. But what about the Russian Object 279 with four treads? Or the Swedish UDES XX-20, an articulated tank with separate front and rear halves? These are just a few examples. This article covers eight tank designs that were only good on paper.

Lebedenko Tank

Without World War I, tanks might never have been invented. Initially, they were designed to ferry soldiers across no man's land and cross trenches. Early tanks were wide, long, and flat with rhomboid caterpillar tracks as tall as the tank itself. Many followed that blueprint, and those that didn't proved why it was so effective. The Lebedenko Tank, also known as the Tsar Tank, was developed in 1915 by Russian engineers Nikolai Lebedenko and Alexander Mikulin. Instead of two tracks, it had two enormous front wheels, each 27 feet in diameter, and a smaller five-foot wheel at the rear. The front wheels provided mobility, while the rear wheel provided stability. The vehicle looked like a cross between a reverse tricycle and a penny-farthing bicycle. It mounted three cannons—one on top and one on each front wheel's sponson—plus a small weapons platform on its belly. The massive front wheels could trample almost anything, but the rear wheel bore most of the weight and would sink into soft ground, making it impossible to free. The Tsar Tank was scrapped, and its armor was reused for more viable designs.

Antonov A-40

Since the late 1930s, nations experimented with aerial tank deployment. Soviet Air Force engineer Oleg Antonov devised a novel approach: attach glider wings to a tank, tow it behind a plane, release it, and let it glide to the battlefield. Once on the ground, the tank would shed its wings. Antonov created a detachable biplane wing cradle with a 59-foot wingspan and selected the T-60 tankette as the test vehicle. To reduce weight, they removed weapons, ammo, headlights, and most fuel, resulting in the Antonov A-40. According to Russian sources, the A-40 successfully lifted off but was too heavy and caused excessive drag. The project was abandoned because a fully armed tank would be even heavier. Western sources claim the A-40 never left the ground. Regardless, the concept failed.

Type 97 Experimental Flamethrower Tank

The tabletop game "Warhammer 40K" features customizable models, including tanks that swap cannons for flamethrowers. Real-world militaries attempted similar modifications. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Japan operated the Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank. It served as a test bed for various experiments, such as the Type 97 Chi-Yu with mine-clearing flails. The oddest was the Type 97 Experimental flamethrower tank. It replaced standard armaments with electric-igniting flamethrowers. Very little documentation exists, so we don't know why it was built or why it was canceled. What we do know is that it featured two flamethrowers instead of one, making it unique. During World War II, several countries attached flamethrowers to tanks for bunker assault, but those variants were short-lived. The Type 97 likely shared the same fate.

Bob Semple Tank

In the "Warhammer 40K" universe, Ork vehicles are slapdash contraptions welded together from spare parts. The Bob Semple Tank is the closest real-world equivalent. During early World War II, New Zealand feared Japanese invasion. With no supplies from Britain or Australia, Minister for Public Works Bob Semple proposed building tanks from available materials: corrugated manganese plates, Caterpillar D8 tractors, and Bren light machine guns. Engineers began work without formal plans. The resulting prototypes were disappointing. The tractor chassis couldn't handle the extra weight and firepower, achieving a top speed of 5 to 6 mph compared to 24 to 29 mph for M4 Sherman tanks. Off-road, the Bob Semple Tanks rolled dangerously. They looked like corrugated houses on wheels and were widely ridiculed, tarnishing Semple's reputation. However, having them was better than nothing during that tense period.

Little Willie

Tanks were originally called landships, as they were designed to cross no man's land in World War I. Offense was not initially a priority. The first tank designed was Little Willie, a jab at German Crown Prince Wilhelm. Work began in 1915 after Winston Churchill, then Lord of the Admiralty, founded the Landships Committee. Progress stalled until agricultural firm William Foster & Co. was contracted. The result, designed by William Tritton and Walter Wilson, weighed about 14 tons and resembled a metal coffin on treads. It got stuck in trenches, overheated, and reached only 3 mph. However, it was a test run. By the time Little Willie was completed, Tritton and Wilson had already designed an improved successor, Big Willie. That longer, rhomboid vehicle could cross trenches and became the basis for Britain's first functional tank, the Tank Mk I. The name "tank" was a deception—workers were told the vehicles would carry water. Ironically, that codename stuck.

[Image by Andrew Skudder via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]

CLB 75

Many early tanks were little more than armored tractors with cannons mounted on top, as militaries contracted farm tractor engineers. One of the United States' first tanks, the Tracklayer Best 75 (CLB 75), was designed by tractor manufacturer C.L. Best in 1917. It looked like an overturned boat with a turret housing two cannons and machine guns. Like other American tanks of the time, it was designed without knowledge of trench conditions. Its chassis was based on Best's tricycle-like autotractor. Remarkably, the CLB 75 was never intended for combat. It was a promotional tool for films, parades, and training. The tank weighed 14 to 15 tons, but its main chassis already weighed around 14 tons; the armor and turret were just for show. The cannons and machine guns were wooden props. The CLB 75's only contribution was attracting recruits and reassuring the public that American soldiers would have armored support. Fortunately, better tanks eventually arrived.

Vezdekhod

Modern tanks require crews of about four people. However, the first Russian tank was designed for a much smaller team. The Vezdekhod, invented in 1915 by aircraft engineer Aleksandr Porokhovschikov, was small enough for two people. It moved using a single wide caterpillar track and two side wheels, resembling a metal slug. Porokhovschikov promoted its ability to go anywhere, making it a predecessor of both tanks and ATVs. The side wheels were meant to steer, but testing showed they could only move in a straight line. This flaw doomed the project. After newspapers reported on British tanks, Porokhovschikov declared himself the father of tanks and proposed a Vezdekhod-2 with wheels and a turret. He never built another tank and later was executed for espionage.

Kugelpanzer

In 1936, Texan inventor A.J. Richardson designed the Tumbleweed Tank, a ball-shaped vehicle with two rotating halves and machine guns pointing in multiple directions. It was rejected because crews couldn't see outside. Germans later developed a similar design: the Kugelpanzer, or "ball tank." It looks like a metal yo-yo, with two hemispheres on the sides for propulsion and a rear wheel for stability, similar to a compact Tsar Tank. It had a small visibility slit and likely could mount a light machine gun. Its battlefield role is unknown: the armor could protect against small arms, but its lack of firepower limited effectiveness. Reports on its capture are contradictory—some say it was found at the Kummersdorf proving ground, others in Manchuria. The prevailing theory is that it was for reconnaissance, but without hard evidence, its purpose remains a mystery.

[Image by Alan Wilson via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]

Source: SlashGear News