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The Battlefield franchise has traveled through time over the past couple of decades, from the jungles of Vietnam to the futuristic setting of alien planets and walking mechs. Jets, bets, helicopters -- you name it, it's probably been in a Battlefield game.
In this list, we're taking a look at the best vehicles the Battlefield franchise has ever seen. Feel free to argue and disagree. One player's satisfying Ilya-Muromets Bomber killstreak is another person's rage quit. One player's Apache 100-0 game is another player's "Come on, let me fly the helicopter for once..."
10 T-39 Bogatyr and L5 Riesig - Battlefield 2142
When the news rolled in that Battlefield 2042 was going to be set in the future, there were a set group of Battlefield fans that had sudden nostalgic flashbacks to the futuristic setting of Battlefield 2142, an unsung hero of the franchise. Those flashbacks most definitely involved the two mechs: the T-39 Bogatyr and the L5 Riesig.
Yes. There were mechs. Although that might sound incredibly frustrating to play against, a la Titanfall 2 veterans destroying new players, these mechs were surprisingly well-balanced. These vehicles really signaled a change of pace for the Battlefield franchise, but the series has never gone back there. Shame, but at least we can look back at the T-39 Bogatyr with fond memories.
9 Ilya-Muromets - Battlefield 1
Love it or hate it, there's no denying that the Ilya-Muromets might be one of the most broken vehicles to ever have graced the Battlefield stage. More than capable of killing 15-20 players in a single bombing run, the bomber is frequently banned from the few dedicated servers still available on PC, and anyone still playing on console...well, you've just got to deal with it.
Anyone who has played the Grand Operation mode in Battlefield 1 understands this pain. You're on a massive killstreak, about to finally breakthrough on that point which has been holding your team back, and here comes the player with [FLY] in their gamertag and a scoreline that reads 98-1. They haven't left the bomber all game. They're about to kill you again.
8 F-35 - Battlefield 4
The F-35 has seen appearances across multiple Battlefield games, but it's in Battlefield 4 that this machine really shined. Sorry Battlefield 2, you were a pretty great game, too.
Often surrounded by a bunch of teabagging players waiting for the jet to spawn, the F-35 pilot on your team was either Tom Cruise...or going to crash within the first three minutes. Although Battlefield 4 did have some maps that these jets just dominated on, most of the time the jets weren't too obtrusive to the flow of play for infantry soldiers. Well-balanced. Perfect, really.
7 Huey Slick - Battlefield Vietnam
There are two variants of the UH-1 or Huey in Battlefield Vietnam: the Huey Gunship and the Huey Slick. This vehicle saw well over 10 million flight hours during the American-Vietnam war and is an iconic symbol of the conflict.
It makes sense, then, that the Huey Slick should feature on a list of the best vehicles in the franchise. If you didn't ride in one of these with some buddies and blast Ride of the Valkyries, have you ever even played Battlefield?
6 AH-64 Apache - Battlefield 2
Much like the jets, there was always a battle to see who would be able to jump into the Apache first. Spam that key and you might get a chance to fly it, or at least be a co-pilot until your pilot inevitably crashes into a building.
There were some truly incredible pilots on Battlefield 2. The sort of players that will stay in the Apache for the entire game, racking up dozens and dozens of kills, and basically carrying the entire game on their rotor blades. Impressive stuff, if a bit annoying when they appeared on the other team.
5 Tiger Tank - Battlefield 5
Another iconic vehicle. Although Battlefield 5 did receive a relatively negative reception from Battlefield fans, there's no denying that the team at DICE nailed some of the vehicles in the game.
While the game isn't quite as atmospheric as Battlefield 1, when you see a Tiger tank rolling across a field you know to be scared, and that's just about as accurate as you can hope for.
4 M1 Abrams - Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 is arguably one of the best Battlefield games to date, and the M1 Abrams perfectly sums up why: realistic, powerful, and a whole lot of fun, especially on those maps designed for multi-tank combat.
There was even a whole campaign mission dedicated to driving an M1, although it's really multiplayer where this vehicle shined. Just an iconic Battlefield vehicle. One that really couldn't be overlooked.
3 Airship L30 - Battlefield 1
Alright, Battlefield 1 gets two vehicles on the list. There's no chance that the Airship wasn't going to get a spot on this list. Although it's technically quite useless, especially now that everyone knows exactly how to deal with them, their presence on the map is one of the most awe-inspiring moments in any Battlefield game to date.
The Airship starts to rain down chaos, acts as a spawn point for players to parachute onto points below, and explodes in spectacular fashion, crushing soldiers below it and leaving a permanent scar on the map. The Airship and its destruction perfectly summarize what Battlefield is all about.
2 MK-1 Titan - Battlefield 2142
The Airship was not the first vehicle in Battlefield to have the same scope and scale. The MK-1 Titan did it first. These enormous ships provided spawn points for players, but could also be invaded by other players.
Some of the most intense battles ever were fought over the Titans, transforming the wide-open gameplay into tight, constricted areas provided awesome balance to the very large Battlefield 2142 maps.
1 T-90 - Battlefield Bad Company 2
It's alright, we weren't going to do an entire list of Battlefield vehicles without including Bad Company 2. Don't worry: there are actually some things we think Bad Company does better than modern Battlefield games.
The T-90 has been wrestling with the M1 Abrams for a spot as the top-tank in the Battlefield franchise for decades. Although the two vehicles are quite balanced in Battlefield Bad Company 2, we already mentioned the Abrams...so, the T-90 it is. Can't argue with that logic, and now both tanks get a spot on the list.