This article was taken from the July 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.

Chinese dissidents might be happy to step, unarmed, in front of a 70-tonne killing machine, but the rest of us? Andy Marshall, who heads tank-rental company Tanks A Lot, explains how, in theory, you could stop one in its tracks.

Firebomb it


Home-made breakable-glass missiles have been used effectively against tanks in conflict since the Spanish Civil War. So what -- hypothetically -- if you find yourself facing a hostile enemy? "Mix petrol and oils in a bottle and plug with a fuel-soaked cloth," says Marshall. "Light the wick; lob the bottle at the air intakes."

Not advised for non-war situations, obviously.

Stop it in its tracks

Like a shark, a tank is at its most efficient and powerful when it is on the move. If you can halt its progress, you take away a lot of its power. Damaging its tracks is probably the easiest way to disable it. "A railway sleeper wedged between the wheels and the track will do some serious damage," explains Marshall. "And it might even throw the track off."


Shoot at it

If you're with the armed resistance, try firing a shaped charge warhead at it. "You could use a high explosive squash head, which flattens out like a pancake when it hits. It then detonates and sends a shock wave through the armour which causes the inside to 'scab' and fly about inside." A recoilless rifle or anti-tank guided missile might also do the trick.

Create obstacles

If you're short of military-grade weapons, there are a couple of other devious techniques. "You could dig an anti-tank ditch," suggests Marshall. "Make a trench deep enough, perhaps 1.5 metres.

If a tank falls in, it can't get out." If you can't dig, build.


Concrete pyramids known as "dragon's teeth" cause tanks to belly out and prevent climbing.

Climb on

"Although a tank looks unbeatable, if it's on its own it contains a very -nervous crew," says Marshall. Armour means reduced vision; these vehicles are vulnerable to a lone person creeping up. "Once close in, an attacker will be out of view. And if the tank separated from its crew, try prising a hatch open." Better still, negotiate peace.