Main Battle Tanks (MBT) — Battlefield 3 Premium eGuide

While tanks are still at the top of the food chain during ground combat, they’re far from invincible. Rockets fired by infantry, helicopters, and jets pose a big threat, as do other tanks. A tank’s side and rear armor are the weakest. For this reason, keep the front armor facing a threat at all times, especially when engaging other tanks. The rounds fired by a tank’s main gun travel in an arced trajectory. So compensate for range by elevating the barrel and aiming above your target. Use the horizontal lines on the tank’s HUD to determine the proper elevation setting to score a hit.

MBT Unlock Progression

Name	Loadout Slot	Points	Description
IR Smoke	Gadget	800	Smoke grenades enhanced with metal filaments that when launched remove laser-designation, spoof incoming guided missiles, and prevent enemies from revealing your position to teammates.
Coaxial LMG	Weapon	2,100	A light machine gun mounted coaxially to your main weapon.
Autoloader	Upgrade	4,400	An enhanced mechanism decreases the minimum time between firing rounds in your main weapon.
Zoom Optics	Gadget	7,600	A secondary weapon sight with up to 3x magnification.
Maintenance	Upgrade	12,000	Preventative maintenance procedures improve your vehicles recovery from damage.
Coax HMG	Weapon	17,700	A heavy machine gun mounted coaxially to your main weapon.
Proximity Scan	Upgrade	24,700	External sensors detect and reveal enemy units on your minimap.
Guided Shell	Weapon	33,200	A smart target-activated fire and forget shell that can lock on to and track enemy land vehicles and can acquire laser-designated targets even if they are out of line of sight.
Thermal Optics	Gadget	43,200	A secondary weapon sight with thermal optics that highlights soldiers and vehicles for efficient target identification.
Thermal Camo	Upgrade	54,800	Antireflective coating on your vehicle increases enemy locking and tracking difficulty and decreases the time you are revealed to the enemy from being spotted.
Canister Shell	Weapon	68,100	A tank shell encasing thousands of tungsten balls that is fired though the cannon muzzle like a shotgun.
Reactive Armor	Upgrade	83,200	Reactive armor panels and/or slats absorb the impact from anti-tank weapons, protecting you from damage but becoming destroyed in the process.
CITV Station	Gadget	100,000	Access to a third turret position in the tank from which you can laser-designate targets and use a proximity scanner. You can enter a tank in this seat even if other players are occupying both the driver and remote gunner positions.

M1 Abrams

Nationality : US

Description : The M1 Abrams is the principal battle tank of the US Marine Corps.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Seat	Position	Weapon
1	Driver	120mm Cannon
2	Gunner	HMG .50

T-90A

Nationality : RU

Description : The T-90A is derived from the T-72, and is the most modern tank in service with the Russian Ground Forces and Naval Infantry.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Seat	Position	Weapon
1	Driver	125mm Cannon
2	Gunner	12.7mm Machine Gun

[ MBT Tactics ]

Tanks are designed for one purpose: killing other tanks. Statistically, the M1 Abrams and T-90A are identical, providing an even playing field for both drivers during tank duels. But there are a few tactics you can use to gain the upper hand. For one, try to maneuver so you can target the enemy tank’s weaker side or rear armor. >Likewise, rotate your tank so both the chasis and turret are facing the enemy tank’s main gun. This allows the thick front armor to absorb the majority of the damage. Unlocks like the Autoloader and Reactive Armor upgrades can also make a huge difference in a tank duel.
Tanks are best deployed as stand-off weapons. Use the power and range of the cannon to engage enemy vehicles at long range. This is easiest when firing the Guided Shell weapon unlock. These shells are capable of locking onto laser-designated targets painted by the SOFLAM or CITV Station.
When the CITV Station gadget is unlocked, a third seat is added to the tank. The crew member occupying this third seat mans a laser-designator. When used in combination with the Guided Shell, a tank with a CITV Station can paint and engage their own targets without having to rely on a recon soldier’s SOFLAM.
The Canister Shell unlock is a devastating antipersonnel weapon, effectively turning a tank’s main gun into a massive shotgun. But like a shotgun, this shell is most effective at close to intermediate range. Only use this in defensive situations. Never go hunting for infantry in a tank, especially in urban environments. If you spot enemy infantry on the periphery, immediately back up while firing before one of them can toss a mine or C4 in your direction.
Consider playing as an engineer when driving a tank. As you take damage, retreat, hop out, and use the repair tool to fix your ride. Better yet, have your engineer gunner get out and repair while you continue firing the main gun. This tactic gives you a huge advantage during tank duels and is the only way to keep a disabled tank in the fight.
Helicopters and jets are a tank’s worst enemy. However, the machine gun turret is completely capable of damaging these airborne threats. But when counterattacking, stay on the move so as to not give your opponent an easy target to strafe. If you have the IR Smoke gadget unlock, use it to conceal your position and break the locks of laser-guided munitions.
The tank’s driver seat offers poor visibility. Unless a teammate is manning the machine gun turret and actively scanning the perimeter for threats, switch to an external view when driving a tank through city streets. This allows you to spot enemy troops attempting to sneak up on your tank—support troops can ruin your day by sticking C4 to the back of your ride.