track and beyond visual range missile capabilities were removed and its avionics suite was very basic. This variant was widely sold during the 1970s to Soviet allies in the Middle East. Effectiveness of monkey models It is claimed by some that most Soviet-designed tanks and aircraft engaged by western forces during the last decades were allegedly monkey models, and that this must be kept in mind when trying to assess the capabilities of real Soviet-era equipment versus those of contemporary western designs. An alleged example of this is the dismal performance of Iraqi T-72 models during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In each conflict, Iraqi T-72s failed to destroy a single M1 Abrams tank, even after scoring direct hits. On the other hand, a publication from the early 80s claims that the 125 mm 2A46 gun "will penetrate the armor of any current or future NATO tank at ranges greater than 2,000 meters." A decade later, Robert H. Scales insisted that the 125mm gun "could penetrate the Abrams (frontal armor) at 1,000 meters," provided it was using modern ammunition. The performance discrepancy can be explained by the fact that the Iraqi's used substandard ammunition for their guns, while operating a mix of monkey models and their own locally produced variant, the Lion of Babylon. See also History of the tank List of Soviet tanks Soviet Army References Sources Milsom, John (1975). Russian Tanks, 1900-1970: The Complete Illustrated History of Soviet Armoured Theory and Design. Galahad Books. . Suvorov, Viktor (1982). Inside the Soviet Army. New York: Macmillan. . Zaloga, Steven et al. (1993). T-72 Main Battle Tank 1974-1993. Oxford: Osprey. . Inside the Soviet Army. http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov12/06.html Armed Forces Journal International - Volume 118. Scales, Robert H. (1994). Certain Victory: The U.S. Army in the Gulf War. Potomac Books. . Export Weapons of the Soviet Union Foreign relations of the Soviet Union Foreign trade of the Soviet Union Weapons trade