Too Late for the Cold War

Some Allied military hardware that were conceived during the Cold War entered service after the Cold War ended when Russia threw in the towel after the Soviet Union collapsed. Here are just seven military vehicles of the Allied Nations that entered military service after the Cold War ended in 1991.

If there was anything Britain's Challenger 2, France's Leclerc and Italy's C1 Ariete main battle tanks (MBTs) have in common, it's being conceived during the Cold War only to enter service with their respective countries after the Cold War ended.

The Seawolf-class submarines of the United States Navy (USN) were conceived with the possibility of a Russo-American War in mind. However, problems during construction meant the commissioning of the first ship of the class was delayed until 1997. By then, Russia had already admitted defeat.

The first keel for Canada's Halifax-class frigates was laid down in 1987, but HMCS Halifax, the first ship in the class, was not commissioned until 1992, meaning the Halifax-class frigates arrived too late for the Cold War, which ended at the end of 1991.

Australia's Collins-class submarines were the result of proposals to replace the Oberon-class submarines in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1978. Like the American Seawolf-class submarines, the Collins-class submarines encountered construction problems as well. By the time HMAS Collins was commissioned, the Cold War was long over.

Taiwan's F-CK-1 Ching-kuo fighter jets had China as an opponent in mind when it had its first flight in 1989. When it entered service in 1992, the Cold War was already over by then, and China acknowledged that the Soviet Union had already collapsed, so technically, the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo fighter jets entered service after Russia threw in the towel.

Now with Russia, China and all their other battle buddies itching to go to war (Russia has already invaded Ukraine), these vehicles that arrived too late for the Cold War may just see real combat action (Challenger 2 tanks have fought in Iraq and are battling enemies in the war in Ukraine, while Leclerc tanks in UAE service have intervened in Yemen). Not to mention that all of these vehicles appear in the Daisenryaku series of military strategy video games.