Jane's Tanks Recognition Guide [Paperback]

Christopher F. Foss (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0007183267 | ISBN-13: 978-0007183265 | Publication Date: April 4, 2006 | Edition: 4

Every tank and AFV is in use today. Since the publication of the first edition in 1996, "Jane's Tanks Recognition Guide" has sold over 32,000 copies worldwide and remains the most authoritative and comprehensive military vehicle handbook available. In this user-friendly format, studying tanks and AFVs either on the move, at displays and shows or at home is now even easier. This compact fully-illustrated encyclopedia is based on resources from the Jane's Information Group, so you can be sure to distinguish key features of the all modern military vehicles in service today with confidence. It covers chapters such as Introduction Tanks Tracked APCS/Weapons; Carriers 4x4 Vehicles; 6x6 Vehicles 8x8; Vehicles; Self Propelled Guns; and Glossary.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris F Foss has been writing on armoured fighting vehicles and artillery systems since 1970 and has written and edited well over 60 books on this and allied subjects including air defence systems. He has also edited a major defence magazine and contributed on a wide range of land based weapon systems to countless magazines world wide. Besides lecturing on AFVs around the world Foss has also driven well over 40 tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles and chaired a number of major defence conferences on armoured fighting vehicles and artillery systems. He is married with 3 grown up children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 495 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 4 edition (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007183267
• ISBN-13: 978-0007183265
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 4.5 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 5-star reference marred by key omissions., August 4, 2006

By 

Alf R. Bergesen "Military History Buff & Rock... (Marana, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Jane's Tanks Recognition Guide (Paperback)

Jane's is a recognition guide, and a fine one at that. It should be noted, however, that as a recognition guide, it is not a book about tanks and other fighting vehicles, so don't expect much text covering armored vehicle tactics, operations, capabilities, weapon systems, etc.

As a recognition guide, this book does provide sillouettes, line drawings, multiple color photographs, lists of key recognition figures and basic vehicle statistics in order to aid the reader in recognizing various modern armored fighting vehicles. Aslo included are lists of nations who currently use each model.

Surprisingly, not included in the latest version of the book are a handful of vehicles currently seeing extensive combat action and receiving a good deal of media coverage. These vehicles include the U.S. Army's Stryker wheeled APC (based on the Mowag Piranha and LAV-25), the Israeli Achzarit tracked "heavy" APC (based on the hull of the T-54 & T-55 MBT's), Puma tracked Engineer carrier, and low-instensity conflict tracked carriers Nakpadon and Nakpachon (all based on the chasis of the Centurion MBT).

All of the above are derivatives of pre-existing models which are covered by the book but, as in the case of the Israeli APC's, the modifications are so extensive as to make the resulting vehicles almost completely new in terms of components, performance, AND appearance. You've probably seen all of these vehicles quite recently on the national news but you will not be able to find them in Jane's. The omission of these almost completely new vehicles is therefore quite surprising.

Furthermore,the book does include other derivitive vehicles (many Chinese and eastern European vehicle entries are little more than locally manufactured variants of Soviet/Russian designed vehicles) so the above mentioned omission are rather difficult to justify. Therefore, I've given this edition four stars instead of five. Otherwise, it is a fine reference.

Aside from the omissions discussed above at length, the current edition of Janes Tank Recognition Guide is chock full of information and color photos and is a must-have reference for any "tankspotter" or military gearhead.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Think TANK., June 30, 2006

By 

Francois Bardol (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jane's Tanks Recognition Guide (Paperback)

Chris Foss's Book is simply dazzling by the good quality of the photos,drawings and the ton of information he offers. Displaying an enviable knowledge and comprehension of these weapons platforms, , he helps the Neophyte, the Model maker , as well as Armed Forces Researchers and Historians.After reading the passage on each vehicle, especially the finely crafted "key recognition features" Blue inset, we feel we know the vehicle inside out, and can sometimes trace the project back to its inception.Dare look at these toy -looking weapons platforms and understand their pacifying or terrifying power.
For anyone who wants to know how troops and massive firepower can be mobilized and moved very fast, and a decisive factor in the new types of conflicts that may arise in the Twenty First Century.Francois BARDOL

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not "strykingly" complete, June 17, 2006

By 

Bertam A., Workum II (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jane's Tanks Recognition Guide (Paperback)

The Jane's Recognition Guides used to be complete. But this latest version of the Tank guide misses the mark. For one thing, there's no mention of the Russian "Black Eagle," which should be included even if it's only a one-on prototype; with a turret unlike any other USSR or Russian MBT, it might show the direction the Russians are thinking. But a much more glaring ommission: there's no mention at all of the US Army's multi-purpose Stryker 8-wheel combat vehicle, which is seeing a lot of hot action in Iraq and (perhaps) Afghanistan this very minute. There was a 30-minute TV show on it just the other night on Military Channel. Army troops are being quoted praising the Stryker. Again, the politically cancelled Crusader armored heavy self-propelled gun should at least be mentioned, and a a drawing included -- IF Foss and Jane's/Smithsonian want to be complete. Other countries' on-line or upcoming AFVs also are missing. I hope the 5th edition (what -- three-to-five years off?) is more complete.