Though the Gulf War reaffirmed the role of main battle tanks, MBT's were outperformed by the attack helicopter. Missile systems were added to extend range of the gun and to enhance the first-round hit probability. This permitted the turret to be reduced in size making the target smaller and less visible. Mechanical autoloaders were introduced to replace the human loader. The Soviet Union made advancements to the gun system. The Soviet Union war doctrine depended very heavily on the MBT, so much so that any weapon advancement making the MBT obsolete could have severely devastated the Soviet Union's fighting capability. īy the late 70's MBT's were manufactured by France, West Germany, Britain, India, Japan, the USSR, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. The adoption of ceramic MBT armor as well as greater armor coverage necessitated by non-frontal attacks from combat helicopters also resulted in an effective counter to nuclear explosion radiation. The first Soviet main battle tank was the T-64 and the first American MBT was the M60 Patton. Yet they were cheap enough to be built in large numbers. Typical main battle tanks were as well armed as any other vehicle on the battlefield, highly mobile, and well armored. The main battle tank thus took on the role the British had once called the 'Universal tank', exemplified by the Centurion, filling almost all battlefield roles. The additional armor prompted the design of even more powerful cannons. An increasing variety of anti-tank weapons and the perceived threat of a nuclear war prioritized the need for additional armor.
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