The M60 Patton was an American 2nd generation Main Battle Tank. The first prototypes of the car were created in the late 1950s, and serial production continued in 1960-1987, ending with the production of over 15,000 copies of this tank. The M60 Patton was powered by an engine Continental AVDA-1790-2 with 750 hp. Armament in the basic version was a 105mm M68 tank gun, 1 12.7mm M85 machine gun and 1 7.62mm M73 machine gun.
Design work on The M60 Patton began as the American intelligence learned that the Soviet Army was going to introduce a new T-62 tank armed with a 115mm gun into the line. In an attempt to respond to this new threat, it was decided to deeply rebuild the M48 tank, creating a de facto new vehicle. First of all, new weapons were used, i.e. the 105mm gun, the armor was significantly strengthened and a new engine with more power was used. The new design was at least comparable to the T-54, T-55 or T-62 tanks, but was inferior to the T-64 and T-72 series vehicles, especially in terms of firepower. Three versions of the M60 were produced in the course of serial production. The first is the M60A1, which entered the line in 1969, had a new turret and even thicker armor. The M60A2 version with a 152mm cannon-launcher capable of firing guided missiles turned out to be a dead end. Finally, the last serial version is the M60A3, which had, above all, a modern fire control system (SKO) with a laser rangefinder and a passive night vision sight. M60 tanks of all versions have been exported to many countries, including: Brazil, Greece, Spain, Israel and Portugal. They also took part in many armed conflicts of the Cold War period, mainly in the Yom-Kippur war of 1973, the Iraqi-Iranian war of 1980-1988 and the war in the Persian Gulf of 1990-1991.
The M1 Abrams is a modern 3rd generation American Main Battle Tank. The first prototypes of the vehicle were created in the 1970s, and serial production started in 1979 continues to this day. To date (2018), about 10500 tanks of this type have been produced. The M1 Abrams is powered by a turbo-shaft (turbine) engine Avco Lycoming AGT-1500C 1500 hp. The vehicle is armed with a 105mm M68A1 tank gun in the M1 version, and a 120mm M256 tank gun in the M1A1 and later versions. The additional armament is 1 12.7 mm machine gun and 2 7.62 mm M240 machine guns.
The M1 Abrams was created in response to the demand for a new Main Battle Tank announced by US Army already in the 60s of the twentieth century. The new vehicle was to replace the Patton family tanks (M47-M48-M60) in the US Army. Initially, cooperation with German companies was initiated in the project designated as MBT-70. However, after a few years, the cooperation was terminated and further work was focused only on American companies, especially in the Chrysler Defense concern. Despite a very long process of analytical, study and experimental work lasting almost 15 years, it was introduced to the line in the early 1980s M1 Abrams It turned out to be an almost revolutionary structure and far superior to the then Soviet ones. M1 Abrams It is primarily characterized by unprecedented - before 1979 - in tanks of this class, mobility and maneuverability, thanks to the use of a powerful 1500 HP engine. Another thing is that the choice of the turbine engine turned out to be not very successful because it requires very careful maintenance and is prone to catching fire. M1 Abrams it also has very good armor, using composites and SKO (fire control system). In the M1A1 version, it was also armed with a great 120mm gun. Several versions of the tank were created in the course of serial production M1 Abrams. The first significant improvements were made to the M1A1 version, the production of which was launched in 1985 - mainly by using a much more effective 120 caliber cannon instead of the 105mm gun. In 1992, the M1A2 version entered the line, with much richer electronic equipment than previous versions and armor using depleted uranium. Then came the M1A2 SEP version with even more perfect armor. The last development versions of the Abrams tank are the M1A2 SEPv2 and M1A2 SEPv3 versions, which have advanced information exchange, battlefield control, fire control systems and improved secondary weapon control systems. The M1 Abrams tank was exported to several countries, including: Saudi Arabia, Australia, Egypt and Kuwait. Vehicles of this type took part in several operations, the most important of which were the Gulf War in 1990-1991 and the Iraq War in 2003.
The LAV25 is a modern Canadian-American wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). The first prototypes of the vehicle were created in the early 1980s, and serial production began in 1983. The LAV25 is engine driven Detroit Diesel 6V53T about power of 275 hp. It is armed with a 25mm M242 automatic cannon and two 7.62mm machine guns.
The LAV25 was developed for the needs of the US Marine Corps (UMSC), which was looking for a mobile and well-armed IFV in the early 1980s. The vehicle is largely based on solutions from the Swiss Pirania I vehicle, but has a changed driveline, new main weapons and other electronic systems. The LAV25 turned out to be a highly successful car. It has a high maximum speed, is mobile, has the ability to overcome water obstacles, it can also be transported by air on the C-130 Hercules. Its numerous advantages made the LAV25 the starting point for the development of the Stryker family cars. The LAV25 vehicles are used only by the US Marine Corps and the Saudi Arabian Army.
The M198 is a modern American 155 mm towed field howitzer. Its first prototypes were made in 1968, and serial production began in 1978 and lasted until 1992, ending with the production of over 1,600 examples of this weapon. Rock Island Arsenal was responsible for their production. The initial velocity of the high-impact shell fired from this gun is up to 684 m / s, and the maximum range of the gun is about 22,000 meters when firing traditional ammunition. The maximum rate of fire is 4 shots per minute.
The M198 was put into service to supplement and later replace the M114 howitzer of the same caliber used since World War II. Compared to its predecessor, the M198 has a much better range and requires less maintenance. Despite its greater weight, the M198 can also be transported by the CH-47 Chinnok helicopter. It is also adapted to parachute landing. The M198 howitzer is suitable for firing a wide range of missiles: from high-explosive ammunition, through high-explosive and cluster ammunition, to precision ammunition (the M712 Copperhead missile). Nuclear missiles (W48) also remained in service until 1992. The M198s were used in combat during Operation Desert Storm in 1990-1991. They are currently being replaced by the US military by M777 howitzers. The operators of the M198 howitzers, apart from the USA, were several countries, including: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Pakistan and Australia. The M198 is still in service in the latter country's army.