Gallery 4: From the Cold War to the Present
T-72 Main Battle Tank
The Warsaw Pact based its military planning for a war with NATO on a rapid offensive. Columns of heavy tanks, such as the T-72, along with nuclear weapons, air power, saboteurs, and commandos would quickly punch through the defenses, defeating NATO before US-based forces or European reserve units could be brought into the fight.
The Canadian Forces acquired this T-72 in 1992. It was one of eight obtained from the former East Germany for use as a practice target for weapons testing.