Later Developments

M1 Abrams Prototype Demonstrator at Fort Knox, KY
US Army

The standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union trickled down into the proxy wars and conflicts that took place during the Cold War. Wherever possible, both sides incorporated the lessons of past combat into their newer developments. The M1 Abrams main battle tank, developed using new composite armor, paralleled the Israeli use of American and British tanks against Soviet built armor. Standoff capability and survivability was stressed. On the other side of the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Union continued to improve the basic designs they had been using from the beginning of the Cold War. The two great powers never fought in Northern Europe, but their preparation for all out war would create a tank race in which constant improvements and new designs would be introduced. The tanks o the Cold War still linger on, serving to the present day around the globe, in peace, and in the wars that have broken out since then.