Sci-Fi Tanks We Wish Were Real

Science fiction is a genre that can encompass a very wide range of ideas, styles, tones, and elements, which is partly why it's been so popular since the days of Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells. One particularly interesting — and fun — aspect of sci-fi is seeing all the different concepts of advanced technology that, for now at least, can only exist in our imaginations. 

That includes various futuristic weapons and vehicles, as a lot of sci-fi takes place in the future, and features designs that are both rooted in hard science and are completely fantastical. While spaceships often get a lot of attention when conjuring up famous sci-fi media, there are also many books, movies, video games, and franchises that include ground-based tanks. After all, the fundamental idea of a tank — an armored land-based vehicle that can protect and advance infantry on the ground — is a straightforward blueprint that can be iterated upon in countless ways. 

Even as our own contemporary technology quickly advances and today's armed forces continue to design and build some of the best military tanks in the world, we can't help but think about what it would be like to get our hands on some of the more impressive tanks that only exist in fiction. Here are some iconic sci-fi tanks that we wish were real (while also wishing that, if they were, they were firmly on our side and not the enemy's).

While some sci-fi introduces far-out concepts and unrecognizable alien worlds, "hard sci-fi" keeps things relatively grounded and can often take place in settings that look eerily similar to our own. The "Battlefield" franchise of video games, which has typically stuck to historical or contemporary wars, crept into sci-fi territory with its 2021 release, "Battlefield 2042," which takes place only two decades in the future. 

That's not very far, and it's interesting to see how our armed forces may be more advanced in ways that are subtle and logical. If you picture the real-world armed forces of 20 years ago, for example, it doesn't seem all that different — until you consider the impact of drone warfare, widespread internet connectivity, and other recent advancements.

One of the mid-21st century tanks featured in the game is the Russian T28 main battle tank, a fictional successor to the next–generation T-14 Armata main battle tank that was only recently developed in the real world. The 120 mm primary cannon of the T28 is actually slightly smaller than its real-world predecessor, but the tank makes up for that with several other formidable weapons, including 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm coaxial machine guns, 40 mm volley pods, 60 mm mortar pods, TOW missiles, rockets, and kinetic grenades.

The tank also has a thermal sensor array and detection pulse and can be customized with smoke launchers and a cyberwarfare protection system, among other features. While it would be very cool to see the T28 in action, we wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of its weaponry. Given that the game takes place less than 20 years from now, there's also a good chance we could actually soon see the T28 or a main battle tank that's very similar to it.

One of the most iconic science fiction franchises began with James Cameron's 1984 film, "The Terminator," which featured a war fought in the near future between humans and a sentient AI known as Skynet. Most of the evil robots depicted in the film and its several sequels serve one purpose: To hunt down and eliminate any humans that survived the initial nuclear war started by Skynet. 

These hunter-killer robots include walking metal skeletons that are sometimes covered in human flesh resembling Arnold Schwarzenegger, while others are more mechanical and drone-like in nature. In the short glimpses we see of the future war in the first few "Terminator" films, we see the HK-Aerial and the HK-Tank. You can even get a hi-res look at the HK-Tank in the restored 4K Blu-Ray release of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."

Like traditional tanks, the HK runs on treads to better cross uneven terrain (the apocalyptic debris of Los Angeles), but it's more upright and the size of a small building. It's a direct descendant of Skynet's original Terminator, the T-1 drone (which was actually designed, ironically, by the U.S. military). It resembles a much larger T-1 and is equipped with powerful, twin-barreled directional plasma cannons. Its head sports the same infrared sensor and red HUD that many Terminators have, able to easily find its targets, day or night.

What's scariest about the HK-Tank is that it's not just a vehicle — it's a sentient robot with the body of a tank. It's not being steered through a battlefield but instead maneuvering through it of its own accord — basically a giant, armored Terminator that dwarfs even Schwarzenegger's large, formidable frame.