Every Double Barrel Tank in History

Double barrel tanks are a topic that fascinate many and for good reason. The combination of strange designs and immense firepower both look intimidating and spark our imagination. However, what most do not realize is that despite this concept never truly seeing adoption in the real world there are a wide variety of vehicles throughout the history of tank development that fit this description.

Similar to the video this article is releasing alongside of I will not be including vehicles armed only with machine guns of autocannons as that would essentially mean this would be a list of every tank ever built. I will also not be including tanks like the M3 Lee as I feel they are more similar to multi-turreted vehicles. The only other vehicles included on this list will be those that have more than two guns since if you were to remove the additional guns you would end up with a double barrel tank. Without further excuses please enjoy the list and feel free to comment if you think I missed one. Please note that the years I put the vehicles under are mainly just for the sake of organization. Some may be picked based on when a vehicle was designed and others based on when they were adopted into service.

Pre-WW1

Leonardo da Vinci’s Tank

Scale model at the American Heritage Museum (Source ConeOfArc collection)

One of the first ever tank designs and also technically the first double barrel is the design by Leonardo Da Vinci. Featuring a ring of cannons this saucer shaped vehicle was seemingly never built but certainly sparks our imaginations of a world where tanks were built long before the Great War.

WW1

The British Mark Tanks

British tank passing German prisoners (National Archives)

Whether or not the Mark tanks should be considered double barrels can be debated. However due to the inclusion of vehicles such as the VT tanks I feel they technically fall into this category when fitted with the double cannon layout.

Liberty Tank (Mark VIII)

Mark VIII at the US Army Armor and Cavalry Collection (Source ConeOfArc collection)

Similar to the British Mark tanks this tank was equipped with two cannons as well as machine guns although the example in the photo has had the guns removed. You can learn more about this tank here

K Wagen

Coming in at nearly 43 feet (13 meters) the K-Wagen is one of the largest tanks to ever reach the production line. Armed with multiple 7.7cm cannons as well as machine guns this WW1 era superheavy very nearly saw service with the end of the war coming just before they could be finished. Two were partially built but were scrapped shortly after the war. Learn more about the story in my video on the tank.

1920s

Italian Heavy Tank Concept

Blueprint of the turret for an Italian Heavy Tank (Source Roshindow from Tank Encyclopedia)

Armed with a 76mm and 37mm this Italian heavy tank concept is as of now the earliest example of a double barreled armament mounted in a turret.

T-39 Land Battleship (Mockups only)

Mockup of T-39 with double barrel armaments (Source For The Record)

Developed sometime in the 1920s this Soviet multi-turreted landship photos of several mockups show at least one version fitted with twin guns within the larger turrets. Although never built in metal it did have a scale mockup produced.

Ansaldo GL-4

Sketch of the GL-4 (Source Wikipedia)

This concept for an Italian super-heavy tank originates sometime in the late 20s or possibly early 30s. It does not seem to have progressed past drawings.

1932

Char BB (FCM)

Mockup of the vehicle (Source *Tous les blindés de l’armée française 1914-1940")*

This bizarre looking vehicle was a mockup for a heavy tank armed with two 75mm cannons in the front. Existed only in mockups.

1933

Grote’s “Fortress Tank”

Drawing of the massive landship (Source Tank Encyclopedia)

Years before the P.1000 “Ratte” this monstrosity was designed by a man named Edward F. Grote. Despite the German creator this was actually designed for the Soviets who unsurprisingly made the decision not to pursue the design further. If you’d like to learn more about this check out the TE article on it here

1934

Neubaufahrzeug

Although this photo appears to be a mockup the Neubaufahrzeug is the first vehicle on this last to have two cannons mounted in a single turret that was actually built in metal. A total of five of these were built with 2 soft steel prototypes and three armored production vehicles. These would see limited service during the invasion of Norway where one was destroyed. You can learn more about the tank here

1938

T5 Prototype

This tank was one of many prototypes for what would eventually become the M2 Medium tank. Equipped with two 37mm cannons it marks the second double barrel tank to be built in steel although this one was never adopted. Clearly the US needed the extra room for additional machine guns instead.

1939

KV-1 Prototype

Although most of us will know of the KV-1 it may come as a surprise that early in its development it was equipped with two guns. The primary armament was still the 76.2mm cannon but it also carried a smaller 45mm next to it. However this gun was removed prior to being sent to Finland for field trials.

1940

T1/M6 Heavy tank

Photo of one M6 heavy tank apparently given the name “Junior” (Source ConeOfArc collection)

One of the few American heavy tanks to ever be accepted for service the M6 is also one of the only to have two cannons. Equipped with the powerful 3 inch (76mm) main gun and a smaller 37mm coaxial cannon alongside a variety of machine guns this vehicle was bristling with firepower. Although 40 were built none ever reached combat.

Pletnyov’s “Armored Death Combine”

Drawing of Pletnyov’s proposed design featuring boom arms fitted with gun pods (Source The Armored Patrol)

Certainly one of the more interesting entries on this list Pletnyov’s design nonetheless does fit the definition of a double barrel tank. Featuring a frontally mounted turret with two guns seemingly stacked atop one another it also features weird gunpod-like devices mounted to boom arms. Personally I’d like to try whatever vodka he must have been downing while coming up with this one, but I admire the imagination behind it.

Buchinskij’s Landship

Sketch showcasing this immense vehicle (Source The Armored Patrol)

I couldn’t find much about this particular vehicle online but it does appear to be a real proposal by a man named S.E. Buchinskij. It features multiple turrets one of which looks to be armed with two 45mm cannons. We can likely assume it never progressed past drawings.

1941

MTLS-1G14

Produced my Marmon-Herrington this double barrel tank is one of the smallest on this list and also the only one from the Netherlands. Despite not coming from a world power this is one of the most numerous double barrel in history with 125 built. Armed with two 37mm guns they saw service with the Dutch military until 1957. You can learn more about them here

KV-7 (3 Gun Variant)

Frontal view of the KV-7 giving a good look at the gun layout (Source Tank Archives)

Fitted with two 45mms and one 76mm this casemate version of the KV was built and tested in late 1941. This was intended to be used as an assault tank with the three guns theoretically providing improved capabilities against unarmored targets. Although it did see testing it never progressed past that.

T-34-3

The T-34-3 is essentially the same idea as the KV-7 however it instead was built using the T-34 and mounted the guns in a turret. However unlike its triple barreled cousin this one would never leave the drawing board.

1942 (The Year of the Double Barrel)

P.1000

Likely one of the most famous on this list the P.1000 or Ratte as it is known today is an absolute monster. Designed by the same Edward F. Grote who created the earlier design for the Soviets the armament varied as the concept progressed but most included twin 28cm cannons in the main turret. For obvious reasons this was never built.

Maus

The Maus is a tank which truly needs no introduction. Weighing in at almost 200 tons and having some of the thickest armor ever fitted to a tank it is a true marvel of engineering. Along with its immense size it also features two guns a 12.8cm main gun and a smaller 7.5cm coaxial gun. Although it is possible the Maus may have seen limited combat use before being destroyed and abandoned there is currently no evidence to prove this to have occurred.

KV-7 (2 Gun Variant)

Photo of the prototype KV-7 in 1942 (Source Tank Archives)

Instead of the triple gun layout this later version of the KV-7 featured a pair of ZiS-5 76.2mm cannons. This was built and tested using the same vehicle as the original layout and similarly did not progress past that.

Sentinel (Dual 25 Pounder Test Rig)

Photo showcasing the 25 pounders fitted and ready for testing (Source Warspot)

This tank from down under was fitted with two 25 pounders to simulate the recoil of a 17 pounder gun. This was done to determine if the turret could withstand the force and was not intended as anything more than a testbed.

SU-122-2

The SU-2-122 is another example of a double barrel vehicle on the T-34 chassis although this time as a casemate. This was technically not fully designed until early 1943 but the initial concept began in 1942 and the design was never built.

Project P. Osokin

Concept for this insane vehicle (Source TopWar.ru)

“What’s better than one T-34? How about a vehicle made up of 4+ T-34s!” is how I imagine the pitch for this one going. Here we find another Soviet landship featuring a main turret armed with twin 152mm cannons as well as a variety of other weapons. As you can probably guess this was never built for obvious reasons.

TOG 2 (Multi-gun layout)

Photo showing TOG 2 with what appear to be mockup guns (Source The Tanks of TOG)

Most think of the TOG 2 as being fitted with a single gun, but during its development it had a variety of proposed armaments including a twin gun layout. This was later discarded in favor of a different gun and turret.

1945

ST-II

The ST-II was a proposal to add a second gun to the ST-I tank in 1945. This was intended to increase the firepower of the vehicle but it never progressed past drawings.

ISU-122-2 “Medved”

Mockup of the double gunned artillery (Source For The Record)

Another Soviet double barrel from 1945 this one was intended as an artillery capable of firing long range supporting fire rapidly. A mockup was built but it never progressed further.

1950

Shashmurin’s “Tank of Extreme Parameters”

Drawing of this vehicle (Source For The Record)

Not much information on this one is available but it bears a striking similarity to the Object 703 version II to me. I have no idea if there is any connection and the exact armament of the proposal is not known.

1953

“The Hunter”

Armed with twin 105mm rocket guns this proposal would have provided a heavy tank with excellent firepower. I won’t go into too much detail here as you can find a full video about it here by Armoured Archives.

1955

Ontos

Featuring six M40 recoilless rifle guns this multi-gunned oddity is the most produced of all the tanks on this list with just under 300 produced. These saw service with the US Army most notably in the Vietnam war. It can be argued this isn’t truly a double barrel tank, and I’m on the fence about it personally, but I just knew if I didn’t include it I would get complaints.

FV4401 “Contentious”

The FV4401 was an attempt to create a vehicle with increased firepower which did not suffer from the size and weight problems as others did. Not only would this strange looking vehicle feature two guns but it was also intended to be operated by a single crew member. Learn more about it here

1956

Type 60 SPRG

Type 60 during an exercise (Source Wikimedia)

Similar to the Ontos this small vehicle was fitted with two M40 recoilless rifles. Over 250 of these were built not quite surpassing the Ontos but still making it the second most produced double barrel tank. These entered service in the 60s and as of 2001 140 were reported to still be in service.

ELC EVEN With 120mm Recoilless Rifles

Prototype vehicle with Frenchmen for scale (Source French Military Archives, Châtellerault)

Another recoilless rifle design this time fitter with four 120mm recoilless rifles. One prototype was built as pictured as well as a second prototype being proposed with an autoloader system which would have only fitted two guns.

1970

Leopard TD Concept

(Source *Rolf Hilmes – Kampfpanzer Heute*)

This vehicle was proposed as a sort of mobile anti-tank gun/tank destroyer armed with two 120mm cannons built on the Leopard 1 chassis. A frontal shield reminiscent of the vorpanzer armor originally mounted on the Tiger I tank could deployed once in position and the guns would elevate allowing for hull down fire. This design never progressed part concepts, but it does bear striking similarities to the later VT tanks although I am unsure at this time if there is any connection between the projects.

1974

VT 1-1

Similar to some of the earlier proposals the VT tanks were intended to allow for rapid fire to ensure that a target was hit quickly. The first version fitted two 105mm guns but later ones would fit twin 120mms.

MAK FMBT-70 Program

One of the many designs in this program (Source unknown)

There are a wide variety of different designs in this program however all are very similar so I have condensed them into one spot. The idea for these is essentially the same as the VTs and would feature incredible speeds allowing them to get into combat or back out quickly. None got past the design stage.

1975

VT 1-2

The follow-up design to the VT 1-1 armed with twin 120mms.

1976

WZ-141

The only example of a Chinese double barrel the WZ-141 is similar in concept to the Type 60 SPRG. As we can see in the photo is also has ATGMs mounted similarly to how we see them mounted on BMP-1s. Reportedly two of these were built.

1980s

Object 490 “Poplar”

Mockup of the double gun design (Source btvt)

I could not find much information on this one and much of it seems to vary to the degree that I am not even sure if the name was actually Object 490. I am unsure if this is part of a broader program or if the 490 number was reused for multiple designs. Either way this was a vehicle fitted with twin 125mm guns as a 23mm machine gun in the center with a crew of two developed sometime in the 80s. Seemingly it did not progress past mockups.

2006

2S35 Koalitsiya-SV Demonstrator/Prototype

Original twin 152mm layout (Source unknown)

Although the 2S35 is now fitted with only one 152mm gun originally it was intended to fit two mounted in an over-under configuration with both guns being autoloaded. This layout was cancelled in 2010 in favor of the one gun variant which is planned to become the main Russian self propelled artillery in the future.

2021

Maisanta YZR

Probably the least expected of all of the vehicles on this list for me is this one created recently by Venezuela. Built on a modified AMX-13 chassis this bizarre Ontos-like vehicle is fitted with six recoilless rifles as well as a machine gun and mortar. The strangest part of this vehicle, though, has to be the sights which are taken from the SVD Dragunov rifle and are then paired with cameras that feed the sight picture down to a Samsung monitor inside the hull. Not much else is known about these odd little vehicles.

That concludes the list of all the double barrel tanks I could find throughout the history of tank designs. If you think I missed any please let me know and be sure to check back as I will undoubtedly add some more as I come across more during my research on other topics.

A List of Every Double-Barrel Tank in History