Sweden’s PV-1110 recoilless rifle was in service from the 1960s through the 1990s. It was used by Sweden, Ireland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The PV-1110 recoiless rifle was usually fired directly from a towable two wheeled carriage, but it could also be mounted from a light vehicle. It was 13.45 feet (4100mm) long and weighed …
Author Archives: M Malory
M47 Patton Medium Tank
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 …
M103 Heavy Tank
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 …
T-80 Main Battle Tank
The T-80 main battle tank was the first Soviet tank to have a ballistic computer and a laser rangefinder and the first Soviet tank to be powered by a gas turbine engine. It resembles the T-64 and the T-72 and has similar weaponry – a 4.92 inch (125mm) smoothbore gun, a 0.3 inch (7.62mm) coaxial …
T-72 Main Battle Tank
The Soviet Union’s T-72 main battle tank has played a part in many conflicts around the world from the end of the twentieth century through the beginning of the twenty-first. Originally, the T-72 main battle tank was designed to be a replacement for the T-62. The T-72 entered service in 1973. By this time the …
M46 Patton Medium Tank
The M46 Patton medium tank was an upgrade of America’s M26 Pershing heavy tank. It had a new engine, a new transmission and a new M3A1 3.54 inch (90mm) main gun with a muzzle brake and bore evacuator. Secondary armament on the M46 consisted of two 0.3 inch (7.62mm) machine guns – one coaxial and one …
T-64 Main Battle Tank
The Soviet Union’s T-64 main battle tank first entered service in 1966. An upgraded version of the T-62, the T-64 has a smaller, lighter and more powerful engine than the T-62 (700hp vs. 580hp) The T-64 main battle tank was built with better armor protection than older Soviet tanks. The armor on the hull and …
T-62 Main Battle Tank
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 …
T-10 Heavy Tank
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 …
Sweden – RBS-56 BILL Anti-Tank Missile
Sweden’s RBS-56 anti-tank missile, or BILL, was designed to defeat composite armor. It uses a HEAT warhead that penetrates tanks from above using Overfly Top Attack (OTA) technology. The Swedish company Bofors (now Saab Dynamics AB), developed BILL, which stands for Bofors Infantry Light and Lethal) in the late 1970s. The weapon entered service in the …
Sweden – AT4 Light Anti-Armor Weapon
Sweden’s AT4 light anti-armor weapon is a simple, disposable, shoulder-fired recoilless rifle. It consists of fiberglass launch tube that is preloaded with a rocket armed with a HEAT warhead. The launch tube contains the sights, firing mechanism and other attachments, such as safety features, that are needed to enable the AT4 to be used at …
Type 63 Light Amphibious Tank
The Type 63 light amphibious tank was China’s first fully amphibious tank. It was based on the Soviet Union’s PT-76 light amphibious tank. In the mid 1950s, the Soviet Union gave China some PT-76s. China decided to develop its own amphibious tank based on the PT-76. It was to be used in the rice paddies …