Weapons
The Arab armies were equipped with predominantly Soviet-made weapons while Israel's armaments were mostly Western-made. The Arabs' T-54/55s and T-62s were equipped with night vision equipment, which the Israeli tanks lacked, giving them an advantage in fighting at night, while Israel tanks had better armor and/or better armament. Israeli tanks also had a distinct advantage in the “hull-down” position where steeper angles of depression resulted in less exposure. The main guns of Soviet tanks could only depress 4 degrees. By contrast, the 105 mm guns on Centurion and Patton tanks could depress 10 degrees.
| Type | Arab armies | IDF |
|---|---|---|
| AFVs | Egypt, Syria and Iraq used T-34/85, T-54, T-55, T-62 and PT-76, as well as SU-100/152 World War II vintage self-propelled guns. | M50 and M51 Shermans with upgraded engines, M48A5 Patton, M60A1 Patton, Centurion and about 200 T-54/55 captured during the Six-Day War. All tanks were upgraded with the British 105 mm L7 gun, prior to the war. |
| APCs/IFVs | BTR-40, BTR-152, BTR-50, BTR-60 APC's & BMP 1 IFV's | M2 /M3 Half-track, M113 |
| Artillery | M1937 Howitzer, BM-21, D-30 (2A18) Howitzer, M1954 field gun | M109 self-propelled howitzer, M107 Self-Propelled Gun, M110 self-propelled howitzer, M50 self-propelled howitzer and Makmat 160 mm self-propelled mortar, Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50, Soltam M-68 and 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46) |
| Aircraft | MiG-21, MiG-19, MiG-17, Su-7B, Tu-16, Il-28, Il-18, Il-14, An-12, Aero L-29 | A-4 Skyhawk, F-4 Phantom II, Dassault Mirage III, Dassault Super Mystère, IAI Nesher |
| Helicopters | Mi-6, Mi-8 | Super Frelon, CH-53, AB-205 |
| AAW | SA-6 Gainful, SA-3 Goa, SA-2 Guideline, ZSU-23-4, Strela 2 | MIM-23 Hawk, MIM-72/M48 Chaparral, Bofors 40 mm |
| Infantry weapons | Port Said submachinegun, AK-47, RPK, RPD, DShK HMG, AT-3 Sagger, RPG-7 and B-11 recoilless rifle | Uzi, FN FAL, AK-47, FN MAG, M2 Browning, Nord SS.11, LAW, TOW, RL-83 Blindicide and M40 recoilless rifle |
| Sea to Sea Missiles | P-15 Termit | Gabriel missile |
| Air-to-Air Missiles | Vympel K-13 | Shafrir 2, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow |
| Air-to-Ground Missiles | AGM-45 Shrike anti radiation missile |
Read more about this topic: Yom Kippur War
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