Special Report
US Tanks and Armored Vehicles Used in Operation Desert Storm
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Operation Desert Storm, and the Gulf War for that matter, was the first major conflict after the Vietnam War where the United States finally was able to use its buildup of vehicles and aircraft from the Cold War. This conflict saw the use of fourth generation fighter jets as well as some of the newest military vehicles to be rolled out.
A range of vehicles were used throughout the conflict, everything from tanks to infantry fighting vehicles. Support vehicles also played a role as well for recovering other vehicles lost in combat or creating bridges to allow for troop advancement.
Overall, these vehicles contributed to a victory for the United States and its allies in the first Gulf War. Just over a decade later, many of these countries and vehicles would be revisiting the Middle East yet again. (These are the biggest military invasions of the past 100 years.)
To determine the tanks and armored vehicles used by the United States in Operation Desert Storm, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of military vehicles from Military Factory, an online database of arms, vehicles, and aircraft from militaries around the world. We listed these vehicles alphabetically. Data regarding the year each vehicle was introduced, type of vehicle, manufacturer, total produced, weight, top speed, and armament also came from Military Factory.
The M1 Abrams was the main battle tank of choice of the United States in Operation Desert Storm. It was originally introduced to service by General Dynamics in 1980, just a decade prior to the conflict. This tank boasts a 120mm Rheinmetall main gun, along with a host of other high-caliber machine guns and smoke grenade dischargers.
Despite entering service over 40 years ago, the M1 Abrams is still a staple of U.S. armed forces and has seen multiple tours across the Middle East over the years. (These are the guns the U.S. used to fight the Gulf War.)
Other weapon systems that gained prominence throughout this conflict were the multiple launch rocket system and other surface-to-air missile systems, which launch high-powered missiles over great distances. A few different iterations of these systems saw service.
Here is a look at the U.S. Tanks and armored vehicles used in Operation Desert Storm:
AAV-7 (LVTP-7)
- Type: Advanced amphibious assault vehicle
- Year introduced: 1972
- Manufacturer: United Defense / FMC Corporation
- Total units produced: 1,737
- Weight: 25.2 tons
- Top speed: 40 mph
- Armament: 40mm grenade launcher, 25mm M242 Bushmaster cannon, 12.7mm Browning M2HB heavy anti-aircraft machine gun
Alvis FV107 Scimitar
- Type: Armored reconnaissance vehicle
- Year introduced: 1971
- Manufacturer: Alvis
- Total units produced: 641
- Weight: 8.9 tons
- Top speed: 50 mph
- Armament: 30mm L21 Rarden cannon, 7.62mm L37A1 coaxial machine gun, smoke grenade dischargers
Avibras ASTROS II
- Type: 6×6 wheeled multiple launch rocket system
- Year introduced: 1983
- Manufacturer: Avibras Industria Aerospcial
- Total units produced: 164
- Weight: 11 tons
- Top speed: 56 mph
- Armament: 127mm, 180mm, or 300mm rocket launcher pack
Centurion (A41)
- Type: Main battle tank
- Year introduced: 1945
- Manufacturer: Leyland Motors / Vickers / Royal Ordnance Factory
- Total units produced: 4,423
- Weight: 61.7 tons
- Top speed: 21 mph
- Armament: 105mm L7 main gun, 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun, 7.62mm machine guns, smoke grenade dischargers
Challenger 1
- Type: Main battle tank
- Year introduced: 1983
- Manufacturer: Royal Ordnance Factories / Vickers
- Total units produced: 420
- Weight: 67.5 tons
- Top speed: 35 mph
- Armament: 120mm L11A5 main gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, 7.62mm anti-aircraft machine gun, smoke grenade dischargers
Engesa EE-9 Cascavel (Rattlesnake)
- Type: 6×6 wheeled armored car
- Year introduced: 1974
- Manufacturer: Engesa
- Total units produced: 2,500
- Weight: 12.1 tons
- Top speed: 62 mph
- Armament: 90mm Cockerill Mk 3 main gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, 12.7mm heavy machine gun
FV510 Warrior
- Type: Infantry fighting vehicle
- Year introduced: 1986
- Manufacturer: GKN Sankey / BAE Systems
- Total units produced: 1,043
- Weight: 30.9 tons
- Top speed: 47 mph
- Armament: 30mm L21A1 Rarden cannon, 7.62mm L94A1 coaxial chain gun, smoke grenade dischargers
HMMWV (Humvee)
- Type: 4×4 high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle
- Year introduced: 1985
- Manufacturer: AM General / O’Gara-Hess and Eisenhardt
- Total units produced: 180,000
- Weight: 2.6 tons
- Top speed: 65 mph
- Armament: 40mm Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher, 12.7mm Browning M2HB, 7.62mm general purpose machine gun, TOW-2B anti-tank guided missile launcher
LAV-25
- Type: 8×8 wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicle
- Year introduced: 1983
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics
- Total units produced: 5,000
- Weight: 18 tons
- Top speed: 62 mph
- Armament: 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun, 7.62mm machine guns, smoke grenade dischargers
M1 Abrams
- Type: Main battle tank
- Year introduced: 1980
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics
- Total units produced: 10,000
- Weight: 69.5 tons
- Top speed: 42 mph
- Armament: 120mm Rheinmetall M256A1 main gun, 12.7mm Browning M1HB, 7.62mm M240 machine guns, smoke grenade dischargers
M109 (Paladin)
- Type: 155mm self-propelled artillery
- Year introduced: 1963
- Manufacturer: United Defense / General Motors
- Total units produced: 6,200
- Weight: 31.8 tons
- Top speed: 40 mph
- Armament: 155mm M284 howitzer main gun, 12.7mm M2 Browning anti-aircraft machine gun
M110 SPA
- Type: 203mm self-propelled artillery
- Year introduced: 1962
- Manufacturer: Pacific Car & Foundry / FMC Corporation
- Total units produced: 1,078
- Weight: 26.8 tons
- Top speed: 35 mph
- Armament: 203mm M201 main gun
M163 Vulcan Air Defense System
- Type: Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
- Year introduced: 1969
- Manufacturer: General Electric
- Total units produced: 2,000
- Weight: 13.8 tons
- Top speed: 40 mph
- Armament: 20mm gatling gun
M2 Bradley
- Type: Infantry fighting vehicle
- Year introduced: 1981
- Manufacturer: United Defense
- Total units produced: 4,641
- Weight: 40.4 tons
- Top speed: 38 mph
- Armament: 25mm automatic main gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, TOW anti-tank guided missile launchers, smoke grenade dischargers
M270 MLRS
- Type: Multiple launch rocket system
- Year introduced: 1983
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin Vought
- Total units produced: 1,730
- Weight: 30.9 tons
- Top speed: 40 mph
- Armament: 227mm solid-fuel rockets / missiles
M3 Bradley
- Type: Cavalry fighting vehicle
- Year introduced: 1983
- Manufacturer: United Defense
- Total units produced: 500
- Weight: 25 tons
- Top speed: 41 mph
- Armament: 25mm automatic main gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, TOW anti-tank guided missile launchers, smoke grenade dischargers
M35 / G742
- Type: Multi-purpose medium-class military truck
- Year introduced: 1951
- Manufacturer: AM General
- Total units produced: 30,000
- Weight: 6.5 tons
- Top speed: 55 mph
- Armament: 40mm M79 grenade launchers, 20mm Oerlikon autocannon, XM134 minigun, 12.7mm M2 Browning machine gun, 7.62mm M60 general purpose machine gun
M551 Sheridan
- Type: Armored reconnaissance airborne assault vehicle
- Year introduced: 1968
- Manufacturer: General Motors
- Total units produced: 1,562
- Weight: 16.8 tons
- Top speed: 43 mph
- Armament: 152mm M81E1 main gun, 12.7mm M2HB anti-aircraft machine gun, 7.62mm M240C coaxial machine gun, smoke grenade dischargers, MGM-51 Shillelagh anti-tank guided missiles
M60 (Patton)
- Type: Main battle tank
- Year introduced: 1960
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics
- Total units produced: 15,000
- Weight: 53.7 tons
- Top speed: 30 mph
- Armament: 105mm M68 main gun, 12.7mm M85 anti-aircraft heavy machine gun, 7.62mm M73 coaxial machine gun, smoke grenade dischargers
M60 AVLB
- Type: Armored vehicle launched bridge
- Year introduced: 1967
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics
- Total units produced: 125
- Weight: 58 tons
- Top speed: 30 mph
- Armament: None
M727 Hawk
- Type: Tracked guided missile equipment carrier
- Year introduced: 1969
- Manufacturer: BAE Corporation
- Total units produced: 40
- Weight: 8.8 tons
- Top speed: 35 mph
- Armament: Hawk medium-range, surface-to-air missiles
M730 Chaparral
- Type: Mobile surface-to-air missile system
- Year introduced: 1969
- Manufacturer: Loral Aerospace Corporation
- Total units produced: 600
- Weight: 14.1 tons
- Top speed: 35 mph
- Armament: MIM-72A short-range, surface-to-air missiles
M752 Lance
- Type: Self-propelled tracked battlefield missile carrier
- Year introduced: 1972
- Manufacturer: State Factories
- Total units produced: 550
- Weight: 16.5 tons
- Top speed: 35 mph
- Armament: Lance battlefield missiles
M88 Hercules
- Type: Armored recovery vehicle
- Year introduced: 1961
- Manufacturer: United Defense
- Total units produced: 1,575
- Weight: 77.2 tons
- Top speed: 25 mph
- Armament: 12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine gun, smoke grenade dischargers
M9 ACE
- Type: Military bulldozer / engineering vehicle
- Year introduced: 1986
- Manufacturer: BMY Combat Systems / United Defense
- Total units produced: 448
- Weight: 26.9 tons
- Top speed: 30 mph
- Armament: smoke grenade dischargers
M93 Fox
- Type: Nuclear-biological-chemical armored reconnaissance vehicle
- Year introduced: 1990
- Manufacturer: General Dynamics
- Total units produced: 1,236
- Weight: 18.7 tons
- Top speed: 65 mph
- Armament: 7.62mm M240 general purpose machine gun, smoke grenade dischargers
M981 FIST-V
- Type: Laser designator battlefield support vehicle
- Year introduced: 1987
- Manufacturer: United Defense
- Total units produced: 550
- Weight: 13.2 tons
- Top speed: 40 mph
- Armament: 7.62mm M60 medium machine gun, smoke grenade dischargers
Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG
- Type: 4×4 utility truck
- Year introduced: 1947
- Manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz
- Total units produced: 250,000
- Weight: 4.9 tons
- Top speed: 50 mph
- Armament: None
MIM-104 Patriot
- Type: Surface-to-air missile system
- Year introduced: 1981
- Manufacturer: Raytheon
- Total units produced: 1,280
- Weight: 35.3 tons
- Top speed: 50 mph
- Armament: PAC-3 series missiles
Renault VAB
- Type: 4×4 armored personnel carrier
- Year introduced: 1976
- Manufacturer: Renault Trucks Defense
- Total units produced: 5,000
- Weight: 14.3 tons
- Top speed: 57 mph
- Armament: 12.7mm heavy machine gun, anti-tank guided-missile launcher
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