Category Archives: Early Cold War Tanks

France's AMX-13 light tank was designed soon after World War II ended.  Design of the tank began in 1946. The first prototype was finished in 1948 and production began in 1952. The AMX-13 entered service in 1953. The AMX-13 light tank was designed to be an air-portable reconnaissance vehicle and tank destroyer.    It has a low profile

The AMX-30 main battle tank entered service in France the 1960s and has been exported to many different countries since then.  While It  is no longer being produced, it remains in service in France and elsewhere. In 1957, France and Germany embarked on a joint project to create a European tank, known as the Europa Panzer,

The Char ARL-44 heavy tank, which was designed in secret when France was under occupation, was supposed to have been an improvement over the Char B1 heavy tank, with a better turret and better main gun. During World War II, France was occupied by the Germans, so French tank production almost came to a halt. However, some

The FV214 Conqueror heavy tank was supposed to have been a match for the Soviet Union's JS-3 heavy tank.  The Conqueror did not remain in service for very long. In 1944, Great Britain started working on the development of an infantry tank known as the A45. This tank was supposed to be a universal tank, with one

The FV4201 Chieftain main battle tank was designed to be a replacement for the A41 Centurion main battle tank, with better firepower, armor and mobility than the Centurion. In 1959, Great Britain completedthe first prototype of the Chieftain main battle tank. Six more prototypes were built between 1961 and 1962, and the tank was accepted by the

The Leopard I main battle tank was the first tank produced by West Germany.  For decades, it was used successfully by many countries. After World War II ended, Germany was divided into two states, West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany) and East Germany (the German Democratic Republic). West Germany was allied with the nations of

America's M103 heavy tank, which was designed after World War II, was supposed to be a match for the Soviet Union's JS-3 heavy tank.  The M103 was only in service for a short time.  As the Cold War progressed,  the United States began to focus on the development of main battle tanks instead of heavy

The M47 Patton medium tank was rushed into production at the beginning of the Korean War.  However, it was never used  in Korea, and American forces never used it in combat. When the Korean War began in 1950, the United States was developing a new medium tank, which was known as the T42. However, the T42 medium tank

The M60 Patton main battle tank is an upgraded version of the M48 Patton medium tank, with a better engine and better armament. In the late 1950s, the United States decided to improve the engine and the weaponry on the M48. The engine on the M48 was replaced with a new AVDS-1790 12-cylinder Continental engine in

Sweden's Stridsvagn 103 main battle tank, also known as the S-tank, is a turretless tank. It is more of a defensive than an offensive weapon, and it was designed to help Sweden maintain its neutrality after World War II by defending against invasion. Bofors began developing the Stridsvagn 103 MBT in 1958. The first two prototypes

The T-10 heavy tank was the last heavy tank produced by the Soviet Union. It was based on the JS (Joseph Stalin) series of heavy tanks. In 1948, the Soviet General Tank Directorate ordered the production of a new heavy tank, originally named the JS-8 (or IS-8 for "Iosif" Stalin). This tank was built and then modified many

The T-62 main battle tank was based on the T-54/T-55 series. Design of the T-62 began in the late 1950s. Production began in the Soviet Union in 1961. T-62s have also been built in the former Czechoslovakia and in North Korea. While the T-62 main battle tank looks very similar to the T-54, the T-62 has a