T-55
36 tons, 22 m.p.h., 100mm (43), 1,000m / 3-5 r.p.m.

NOTE: Data on tanks includes combat weight (tons), cross-country speed, main gun (and ammunition load), range of gun in meters/effective rate of fire in rounds per minute. Arab armor was primarily T-55s, although some T-62s took part in the War.

T-62
36.5 tons, 22 m.p.h., 115mm* (44), 1,000m / 3-4 r.p.m.

*The 115mm gun is smoothbore, with a sophisticated fin-stablized armor piercing round. But lack of good range-finding optics and crude tactics eliminate any theoretical advantages Soviet tanks might have over their Western counterparts.

M-48A2 (modified)
47.5 tons, 22 m.p.h., 105mm (62), 2,000m / 8-9 r.p.m.

Israel up-gunned their M-48s with a 105mm gun. A ballistic computer, superior range finder, better training, and a willingness to fight even in a burning tank, enabled Israeli armor units to defeat superior numbers of Arab armor on both fronts.

M-60A1
48.1 tons, 22 m.p.h., 105mm (63), 2,000m / 9 r.p.m.

The M-60 is the newest tank in the I.D.F., and like all Israeli tanks had one iportant advantage in combat: the turret turned faster than a Soviet tank's. In close-combat resembling a Wild West shoot-out, the "fastest draw" was the Israeli tank.

Centurion Mk.5 (modified)
51.8 tons, 22 m.p.h., 105mm (70), 2,000m / 9-10 r.p.m.

The Centurion, oldest main battle tank in Israeli service, is also their favorite. Like the M-48, it was up-gunned with the 105mm gun.

Revisions and Notes on Modern Armor
Modernizing Those Modern Armor Rules
Glossary of Terms