E-100

• Role: Main Battle Tank
• Manufacturing Nation: Germany
• Introduced: 1945(prototype only)
• Crew: 6
• Maximum speed: 40 km/h
• Operational Range: 190 km
• Weight: 140 Tons
• Main Gun: 150mm Cannon
• Secondary Armaments: .co-axial 7.92 MG34 Machine Guns

The E-100 was the last of the Entwicklung series, more commonly known as the E- series. The basic design was a parallel development to the Porsche Maus in June 1943. It was the heaviest of a family of vehicles meant to standardize as many components as possible. The hull has sloped type armor, typical of post 1943 design. Wheels were overlapped wheels similar to the King Tiger and Panther. After 1944 work continued at a very slow pace and canceled in favor of the Maus. The first prototype was never completed and was found by allied forces on the factory floor in 1945. The partially completed vehicle was removed by the British Army for evaluation and then scrapped.

T54/55

• Role: Main Battle Tank
• Manufacturing Nation: USSR
• Introduced: 1947
• Crew: 4
• Maximum speed: 55 km/h (34 mph)
• Operational Range: 501 km
• Weight: 39.7 Tons
• Main Gun: 100mm Gun
• Secondary Armament: Machine Guns

The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of the Warsaw Pact countries, and others. T-54s and T-55s were involved in many of the world's armed conflicts during the late twentieth century. The T-54/55 series eventually became the most-produced tank in history. Estimated production numbers for the series range from 86,000 to 100,000. Soviet tanks never directly faced their NATO Cold War adversaries in Europe, however, the T-54/55's first appearance in the west in 1960 spurred the United States to develop the M60.

The T-54/55 tanks are mechanically simple and robust. They are very simple to operate compared to Western tanks, and don't require a high level of training or education in their crewmembers. The T-54/55 is a relatively small main battle tank, presenting a smaller target for its opponents to hit. The tanks also have good mobility thanks to their relatively light weight (which permits easy transport by rail or flatbed truck, and allows crossing of lighter bridges), wide tracks (which give lower ground pressure and hence good mobility on soft ground), a good cold-weather start-up system, and a snorkel which allows river crossings. Many T-54/55 tanks still remain in reserve, or even in front-line use among lower-technology fighting forces. Abundance and age together make these tanks cheap and easy to purchase. And while the T-54/55 is clearly not a match for a modern main battle tank, armor and ammunition upgrades can dramatically improve the old vehicle's performance to the point that it cannot be dismissed on the battlefield.

Small size is achieved at the expense of interior space and crew comforts. This causes practical difficulties, as it constrains the physical movements of the crew and slows operation of controls and equipment. And while the T-54/55 tanks can be upgraded, the stunning losses suffered by upgraded Iraqi T-55's against American M1 Abrams tanks during Operation Desert Storm showed the inescapable limitations of the design. The T-54/55 tanks are simply outdated and cannot be expected to have much of a chance against modern opponents. However, the fact that so many T54/T55 tanks are still in service over 60 years after first being introduced is a tribute to the tanks' superb design and successful production.

FV214 Conqueror

• Role: Main Battle Tank
• Manufacturing Nation: United Kingdom
• Introduced: 1955
• Crew: 4
• Maximum speed: 21 mph (34 km/h)
• Operational Range: 450 km (280 mi)
• Weight: 66 Tons
• Main Gun: 120mm Rifled Gun
• Secondary Armaments: 7.62mm Machine Guns

The Conqueror was designed to be fielded in conjunction with the hugely successful Centurion to provide long range anti-tank support. Despite its limitations due to heavy armor (many bridges could not support its weight), the Conqueror had good terrain handling characteristics and would frequently outrun the lighter (and on paper slightly faster) Centurion on the tank ranges.

One feature of particular note was the rotating commander's cupola, which was at the heart of the Conqueror's fire control system, advanced for its time. The commander could align the cupola on a target independently of the turret, measure the range with a coincidence range finder, and then direct the gunner on to the new lay mechanically indicated to him by the cupola. In theory, when the gunner traversed to the new lay he would find the target already under his sights, ready to be engaged. Meanwhile, the commander was free to search for the next target.

Once the Centurion's main gun was updated, the Conqueror's role was rendered obsolete. The FV214 was deployed to British tank groups in West Germany for several years but never saw actual combat.

AMX 30

• Role: Main Battle Tank
• Manufacturing Nation: France
• Introduced: 1966
• Crew: 9
• Maximum speed: 65 km/h
• Weight: 36 Tons
• Main Gun: 105mm Tank Gun
• Secondary Armaments: 20mm Autocannon, 7.62mm Machine Guns

The original designs for the tank that evolved into AMX-30 were part of a joint project with West Germany in the early 1950's. Then De Gaulle decided that France, though formally remaining a member, would no longer participate in the NATO military organization. This caused a rift between France and West Germany. In July 1963 both nations decided to procure a purely national tank. Finally produced in 1966, modernized versions of the AMX 30 are still in service today, both for France, and were exported to numerous nations from the middle east to South America.

The AMX 30 abandoned the oscillating turrets used previously to better seal the tank against submersion and radiation. It relied on mobility and a low profile to survive, the rationale being that newer anti-tank weapons could penetrate almost any armor. The AMX 30 itself used High Explosive Anti-Tank rounds, advanced munitions whose outer shell could spin while the warhead inside remained stationary, significantly improving accuracy. The round could penetrate 16 inch armor.

The AMX 30 saw action in the Gulf War for both France and Qatar. In several battles, the AMX 30's, in concert with air assaults, captured key targets, destroyed or captured 17 tanks and many more support vehicles. French AMX 30's were also positioned to the West of Coalition forces, to protect the right flank of the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps.

M103

• Role: Main Battle Tank
• Manufacturing Nation: United States
• Introduced: 1957
• Crew: 5
• Maximum speed: 25 mph
• Operational Range: 80 mi (M103A2 395 miles
• Weight: 58 Tons
• Main Gun: 120 mm gun
• Secondary Armament: Machine Guns

The M103 heavy tank served the United States Army and the US Marines during the Cold War. Until the development of the M1A1 in the mid 1980s, it was the heaviest and most heavily-armed tank in US service.

Like the contemporary British Conqueror tank, the M103 was designed to counter Soviet heavies such as the Josef Stalin tank or the T-10 if a conventional World War III broke out. Its long-ranged 120 mm cannon was designed to hit enemy tanks at extreme distances, but it was never used in combat. Of the 300 M103s built, 80 went to the US Army, and 220 were accepted by the US Marine Corps, to be used as infantry support.

The successive versions of the M103 shared many components with the M47 and M48 Patton tanks and the M60, which were all considered main battle tanks. Despite the formidable array of arms, the M103 was dogged by reliability problems, a short road range and its sheer size. In the temperate and hilly terrain of Europe, its size alone made the tank very difficult to conceal. Once tanks munitions became powerful enough to penetrate even the thickest armor, the M103, like other heavy tanks from this era, were replaced by lighter, more agile tanks.