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The Battle of 73 Easting, fought on the 26th of February, 1991, during the Gulf War, is often called the last great tank battle of the 20th century. It was there that next-generation technology collided with outdated ideas about warfare, and in conditions that seemed almost unsuitable for modern combat.
The jet age did not arrive overnight. In the first half of the 1940s, aircraft designers were eagerly exploring new technologies, trying to put them into practice as quickly as possible. It was during this period that many unusual aircraft appeared. In Swedish aviation, one of the clearest examples of this spirit of innovation was the Saab 21: first, a piston-engined fighter, and later, a jet-powered one.
Today we’re flying two aircraft that look very similar... and yet could hardly be more different. Their story is almost a family one: in the 1990s, Russia and Italy worked together on a next-generation combat trainer. Near the finish line, their paths split, and instead of one aircraft, two were born. Their names are the Yak-130 and the M-346.
In 1983, the Soviet Union adopted one of the most unusual and technologically advanced tanks of its time: the T-55AD. The decision was unexpected. A vehicle that had already become noticeably outdated was suddenly fitted with highly modern equipment: the Drozd active protection system. Special radars mounted on the turret continuously scanned the area in front of the tank, tracking incoming anti-tank missiles. Once a threat was detected, the system fired a defense charge, destroying the enemy projectile before impact. At the time, no other country in the world was producing such systems in series — not even the United States or Germany, widely regarded as leaders in engineering. The USSR was the first to put what looked like 21st-century technology into practice... and then simply put it on the shelf.
During World War II, the United States and Britain churned out heavy bombers on an industrial scale. The Soviet Union, by contrast, focused on the fast-track production of smaller aircraft. During that era, this policy produced plenty of legendary Soviet warplanes. But in their shadow, one actual production heavy bomber often goes unnoticed. We’re talking about the Pe‑8.
On the eve of World War II, the leading naval powers, above all the United States and Japan, built battleships that pushed close to the technical limits of their time. Their displacement approached 40,000 t, their armor exceeded 400 mm in thickness, and the caliber of their guns was awe-inspiring. But these steel giants shared one major flaw: they lacked the speed to maneuver effectively alongside aircraft carriers. To solve this problem, designers in several countries set out to create a new generation of battleships that were fast but sacrificed little to no protection or firepower.
The rapid development of tank building in the USSR began in the second half of the 1920s. At first, Soviet engineers relied heavily on foreign experience, studying and adapting ideas developed abroad. Their own design school was still taking shape, so borrowing from others was standard practice. Even basic standards for appearance and equipment were not fully established until the end of the decade.