"It Takes Two to Tango"

“It takes two to tango” ---- Soviet Union as a formidable foe:

          This viewpoint is also shared by the CIA during this time. In Gorman Paul F.’s Assessment of Soviet armor, a declassified CIA document, the author seems pessimistic about the fielded M60 Tanks compared to the Soviet tanks. The assessed probability of a kill upon direct hit on a Soviet T-72 ( a cheaper, less “elite” version of the T-64 developed by a rival tank design bureau) tank with all the American army have to offer is below 22%. The Soviet Tanks according to his evaluation is “completely superior” to the M60. On page 16, he mentioned how the T-64 and T-72M give the Red Army an estimated 40% advantage compared to the US Army.

         The existence of T-64, the elite tank is a real concern amongst the NATO pact as even the best tank of the NATO, the brand-new Chieftain tank with the once cutting-edge 120mm rifled cannon firing the L15A5 cannot reliably defeat a T-64 at range. More details can be found in the following simulation. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG4OOJymX5U)

          Though this tank wasn’t widely seen on the battlefield, its existence strikes fear into the NATO pact alongside many other mass-produced tanks alongside the elite T-64. The Soviet tank designs are superior compared to the West during the 60s, 70s, and even the early 80s. From their tanks, the engineering capability of the Soviet Union definitely cannot be underestimated, as, throughout a long period of time, the Warsaw army have the absolute advantage over most of the NATO army in terms of tanks. It is only because they are a formidable foe, that the cold war became the battle of military and engineering prowess that we know it for.