Editing Tank classification (section)

== Specialist tank ==
[[File:M60A1 Armored Vehicle Landing Bridge.jpg|thumb|right|An [[M60A1 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge (AVLB)]], deploying its scissors-type bridge.]]
Tanks have often been modified for special purposes. The most common is [[armoured recovery vehicle]]s, used during combat for [[Vehicle recovery (military)|recovery]] or repair of battle-damaged and inoperable [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s. Another common use is to provide armoured capability for [[combat engineer]]s. These include tanks carrying large-calibre demolition guns, with [[mine flail|flail]]s or [[mine plough|plough]]s for [[land mine|mine]]-clearing, or [[flame tank]]s armed with [[flamethrower]]s. The tank occasionally may lose its weapons and the chassis alone may be used, as in bridge-laying tanks.

Another important modification was the [[amphibious vehicle|amphibious tank]]. These designs were modified with waterproofing and propulsion systems, to be able to traverse open water.

Many specialist tank roles have been assigned to other vehicle types, though many tank chassis are still used for a wide variety of vehicles, ranging from [[self-propelled anti-aircraft|anti-aircraft]] roles to [[Armoured vehicle-launched bridge|bridge layers]] and [[Chinese firefighting tank|firefighting tanks]].

Unmodified tanks can be fitted with equipment, such as mine-clearing ploughs, to give them ancillary roles.

[[Hobart's Funnies]] were a group of various specialist tanks used in World War II, named after [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]] [[Percy Hobart]].