US Military Ground Vehicle Evolution
1915–Present · Armor · Artillery · Missiles · Logistics · Recovery · Motorcycles · MRAP · Sparrows Point, MD
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US Military Ground Vehicle Evolution

This visualization traces American ground combat power from WWI trucks and motorcycles through the M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley, MRAP, and the newest M10 Booker light tank — 90 vehicles across 10 lanes: Wheeled Recon, Half-tracks, Light Tanks, Medium Tanks, Heavy Tanks and Tank Destroyers, Artillery and SPG, Trucks and Logistics (including motorcycles, the DUKW, and the MRAP family), Recovery and Engineering (TRVs, Dragon Wagon, M88, M1150 ABV), APCs and IFVs and LVTs, and Missile Launchers and TELs (Honest John through Patriot and Avenger).

Use the category, nation, and conflict era filters to isolate specific vehicle families — including the new Cold War filter that surfaces the 40 vehicles that formed the NATO force structure from 1947–1991. Toggle 📍 Active at year to see exactly which vehicles were fielded at any moment in history — try 1944 for the WWII Army, 1968 for Vietnam, 1980 for Cold War NATO, or 1991 for the Gulf War. The Sparrows Point filter highlights every vehicle connected to Bethlehem Steel's Maryland armor plate production. Hover any node to illuminate its full ancestor and descendant chain. The Surprise button is the best way to discover something you didn't know you didn't know.

Developed and researched by Claude AI (Anthropic) · March 21, 2026 · Corrections, suggestions, or additional sources are welcome via GitHub Issues

Category
Wheeled/Recon
Half-tracks
Light Tanks
Medium Tanks
Heavy / TD
Artillery
Trucks
Recovery
Missiles / TEL
Sparrows Point, Baltimore Co. MD
EX Export / Lend-Lease primary
Influence
Nation Filter
Conflict Era
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Connection Line Guide

Lineage — Direct evolution. One vehicle was formally developed from its predecessor; the design team built on the earlier platform's architecture, chassis, or powerplant. Example: M46 → M47 → M48 → M60 Patton series.
Shared Hull / Platform — The same chassis or hull was repurposed for a different role, usually crossing into another lane. Example: M4 Sherman hull → M10 Wolverine tank destroyer, M32 TRV, and M7 Priest howitzer. The Sparrows Point armor plate connects all of them.
Influence — One design inspired or shaped another without being a direct parent. Shared concepts, doctrine, or components — but not shared hardware. Example: M4 Sherman → M26 Pershing; the Sherman's limitations drove the Pershing's design requirements.
Hover
any node
Hover lineage — Mouse over any vehicle to illuminate its full ancestor and descendant chain. Connected nodes brighten; unrelated nodes dim. Connection lines on the active chain thicken. Works with all three line types simultaneously.
Wheeled Recon / Armored Cars
Scout cars · armored cars · wheeled IFV
Half-tracks
M2 · M3 family · AA variants
Light Tanks
Stuart · Chaffee · Sheridan
Medium Tanks
Sherman · Patton series · M60
★ Sparrows Point armor plate
Heavy Tanks / Tank Destroyers
M10 · M18 · M36 · flame tanks · M1 Abrams
Artillery / SPG
Howitzers · Atomic Annie · MLRS · HIMARS
Trucks & Logistics
CCKW · DUKW · M35 · HMMWV · HEMTT · MRAP · motorcycles
Recovery & Engineering
TRVs · Dragon Wagon · M88 · AVLB · CEV · M1150 ABV
APCs / IFVs / LVTs
M75 · M113 · M2 Bradley · LVT · AAV-7 · ACV
Missile Launchers / TEL
Honest John · Hawk · Pershing · Lance · Patriot · Avenger
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↗ Wikipedia Article ↗ Tanks Encyclopedia
YEAR
1940