Cold War Tanks

Starting from the sundry families of light, medium and heavy tanks, the strategists and tacticians of both NATO and the Warsaw Pact got to work revising the tactics and technologies inherited from WW2. This led to the development of new armored vehicles including Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), and other specialized vehicles.

Nations

Cold War Illustrations without a nation page

BMP-23 in a regular green livery, 1980s

Camouflaged BMP-23D, 1990s

BMP-30, 1990s

4K 4FA-G1 basic APC version

4K 4FA-G2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle/Grenadier version, armed with the one-man turret Oerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) autocannon.

4F GrW1 81 mm (3.19 in) mortar-carrier version.

4K 4FA-SAN, armored ambulance version.

Early type Austrian Kürassier during maneuvers.

Austrian SK-105A2 in the 1980s.

Argentinian SK-105A2 during peace keeping operations.

Argentinian SK-105A2 during peace-keeping operation with KFOR, 1992.

Austrian SK-105A3, with improved FCS and a fully stabilized L7 derived 105 mm gun.

Tunisian Kürassier SK105A3 in the 1990s.

SK-105A2S Kürassier of the Brazilian Marines

Argentinian Patagón, 2010s.

ASCOD Pizarro – definitive version with add-on armor

ASCOD Ulan of the Austrian Army, in the 2000s

Zulfiqar I in 1998 with the “southern” pattern.

Zulfiqar 2 prototype in the 2000s with the desert pattern.

Camouflaged Zulfiqar III (northern pattern based on greys). At least five camouflage patterns were identified.

Zulfiqar III with another variant of the 4-tone camouflage pattern in 2012-2013.

Safir-74 with a desert camouflage.

A Type-72Z.

A T-72Z. Four types of camouflage patterns were observed for this type. Desert (sand/black or sand/reddish-brown), Northern regions (Olive Green and reddish-brown) or the “autumn” 3-tone pattern (sand, yellow, brown).

Type 72Z with a 4-tone camouflage.

Based on the numerous M47 Patton still in storage but completely modernized.

Tiam Tank as shown on the official presentation, 13 April 2016.

Tiam without ERA or side skirts, showing the supposed shape of the add-on armour welded on the old cast turret of the Type 59. A strange Sino-American hybrid.

Prospective livery of the Tiam, if built in serie and operational.

Type 82 wheeled Command and Communication vehicle

Komatsu’s Type 82 wheeled Command & Communication vehicle (1982), production stopped recently, after 231 vehicles.

Type 96 APC at Camp Shimoshizu. This vehicle entered service with Japan in 1996 as the main wheeled aroured personal carrier. So far, 365 has been produced since 1995 until 2014. It i sechedule for replacement by the Komatsu Wheeled Armoured Vehicle (Improved) in trials in May 2019.

Unknown unit, standard green livery, 1960s.

Type 60, 12th Tank Battalion, Camp Sumigahara, Gunma prefecture.

71th Tank Regiment, Camp Kita-Chitose, Hokkaido Prefecture.

7th Tank Battalion Camp Kusu, Ohita prefecture, 1991.

Unknown unit, standard two-tone camouflage, tank group Kusu, 1965.

Unknown unit, first experimental camouflage example

Unknown unit, second camouflage example, probably the strangest of the series.

Unknown unit, third experimental camouflage example

Type 73 APC in the regular two-tone livery.

Camouflaged Type 73 in a complicated exercize 5-tons pattern

Type 73 command tank variant.

Type 74 Nana-Yon in the regular dark olive green/dark beige livery, 1976.

Type 74 early production in winter livery, 1980s.

Type 74 type C or D in a four-tone Summer/October pattern.

Type 74 Mod E in Winter exercises, in a Zebra pattern.

Type 74-Kai or mod.G, in winter camouflage, 1990s.

Illustration of the Type 87

An unknown, unnamed light tank spotted in 2019 (first spotted by spioenkop). Illustrated by David Bocquelet

Camouflaged Bravia Chaimite VBPM V-600 of the Marines

Chaimite VBPM-600 of the Cavalry School, Carnation Revolution (25 April 1974), Lisbon.

V-200 Heavy fire support, with a low-pressure 90mm gun.

Portuguese Marines Armada-90

YPR-765 of the Koninklijke Marechaussee (Dutch Royal Military Constabulary)

YPR-765 with SFOR

YPR-765

YPR-765A1, Bosnia 1997

YPR-765A1, Afghanistan, 2007

YPR-765s were the main AIFVs of the Dutch Army, locally produced from 1975 in several variants. They are all retired now. It was based on the M113 American APC also used by Belgium. Some served in Afghanistan. All have been replaced by CV9035NLs IFVs and other wheeled vehicles.