Which do you think is the best tank of the Cold War era (thinking about not only performance and effectiveness but also reliability and price)?
Technically the M1 Abrams and the T-80 are both cold war tanks, so probably one of those two are best... However the first M1's were underarmed with a 105mm M68E1 guns (which will often bounce off the crappiest of T-72's) and being the Klutz that I am I can't remember when the 120mm cannon began replacing that... However If you are referring to tanks used at the height of cold war tensions (approx 1950-1970) then probably the best MBT's were the T-55, T-62, and T-64... The latter two actually being techinically superior to the more modern (also late cold war) T-72... and the best heavy tank (i think) was the FV214 Conqueror, an undersung British tank with massive amounts of armor
In terms of performance, ability etc etc the Conqueror was pretty much the equal of the M103 - an undersung American heavy tank. If it hadn't been for the bloody dodgy engine, best Cold-War tank was the Chieftain, no questions asked.
I agree with Ricky, the Chieftain was ahead of its time in many ways, and looked great... model If you say the Cold War lasted untill about 1990, then the Abrams M1A2, of which the first was produced in 1986. Blaster, if you specify a more precise timeframe, the discussion becomes more interesting. By saying "the Cold War", then of course the tanks of the late 80s are going to better than the tanks of the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, and early 80's...
More modern Chieftains have been upgraded to support a 120mm gun, but in the cold war they "only" had a 105mm cannon... which kinda lost them the #1 place for me. The Centurion would also be the best cold-war MBT from around 1945-early fifties
Well... we COULD start a Chieftain vs Leopard-1 vs T-72 vs M-60 vs T-64 thread... I can't see any of those tanks having an overwhelming advantage, it really comes down to preference and nationalism... But I'm going to chicken out of that argument and just say the 60's and 70's were a golden age for great tanks
Hey, that's a great idea, Smeghead. Why'd ya' chicken outta' it? Well, I guess you don't have to post on it. But I'm gonna' start that thread sometime, if someone doesn't do it first.
