Thank god it stayed cold.

Kyle Mizokami
September 15, 2015
TweetShareShare
The Cold War was a uniquely dangerous period in human history. Vast ideological
differences, large standing armies and nuclear weapons on hair triggers meant the end of
civilization was an ever-present threat.
For much of the era, there was genuine fear that war between the West and the Soviet bloc
might break out any time. Such fears pushed the rapid development of weapons to give each
side an advantage should the Cold War suddenly turn hot. The result was not one but many
arms races pursued concurrently, from infantry small arms to nuclear weapons.
New equipment and capabilities were rapidly fielded by both sides. By the 1950s, most air
forces had traded in propeller-driven aircraft for jets. Armored vehicles, submarines, and
missiles saw huge gains in effectiveness. Nuclear weapons in particular were made smaller
and exponentially more powerful. Above all, weapons were made more lethal to give each
side an edge in what might very well have been the last war humanity would ever fight.
USS George Washington:
The pace of nuclear weapons development during the Cold War was breathtaking.
Construction began on the first true ballistic nuclear missile submarine, USS George
Washington, just 12 years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Originally designed as an attack submarine, George Washingtons hull was lengthened to
accommodate sixteen Polaris nuclear-tipped missiles. Each missile had a range of 1,500
miles, making the ballistic missile submarine an incredible leap over the handful of nuclearcapable B-29 bombers operational at the end of World War II.
Advances in nuclear weapons miniaturization technology meant that the W-47 warhead
carried by the Polaris weighed just 720lbs and was durable enough to be carried atop a
missile. The W-47 had an explosive yield of 600 kilotons. By comparison, the Little Boy
bomb dropped on Hiroshima just fifteen years prior weighed 9,700lbs and could only be
dropped by a strategic bomber. Moreover, despite its physical size, Little Boy had an
explosive yield of just 15 kilotons.
AK-47:
The Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 assault rifle, or AK-47 as it is more commonly
known, is one of the most recognizable weapons ever made. Its 30 round magazine and
piercing looks are recognizable from Nicaragua to Vietnam, from the streets of Los Angeles to
the streets of Mogadishu. The AK-47 is lightweight, durable and easy to learn to shoot. Its

also easy to use. Children can and, unfortunately, often do use it in many conflicts around the
globe.
Soviet legend has it that the AK-47 was the brainchild of Mikhail Kalashnikov, a simple
mechanic turned tanker during World War II who designed the weapon while convalescing
from war injuries. A great nationalist legend, the truth is probably more complicated, as the
design shows obvious influences from the American M-1 Garand and German StG-44, the
latter the worlds first true assault rifle.
Approximately 75 million AK-47s have been built, very likely making it the most prolific
firearm of all time. Many millions of AK-47s continue to be used around the world by armed
forces, guerrilla movements and terrorists to this day.
F-4 Phantom:
The F-4 Phantom fighter bomber is a textbook example of the incredible speed of postwar
aviation development. Flown just thirteen years after the end of World War II, the F-4 could
carry a payload of up to 18,000 pounds of ordnance nearly as much as the B-29
Superfortress strategic bomber. And it was a fighter.
The F-4 was developed and manufactured by McDonnell Aircraft today a part of Boeing.
Flown by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as allies including Germany,
Japan, Israel and Turkey, it was a large, twin-engine fighter with the versatility to conduct air
superiority, fleet defense, air defense suppression, reconnaissance, interdiction and close air
support missions.
F-4 Phantoms have seen combat in American service over Vietnam, Iraq and Kuwait, with the
Israeli Air Force in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Iranian Air Force in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq
War and in Turkish service against Kurdish insurgents. The majority of F-4s built have been
retired, but a number still serve with the South Korean, Turkish, Iranian and other militaries.
FN-FAL Battle Rifle:
Nicknamed The Right Arm of the Free World, the FN-FAL battle rifle equipped many
NATO armies during the Cold War. A postwar design by the Belgian small arms factory
Fabrique Nationale, the FAL was adopted by many armies to replace World War II-era
infantry weapons.
The FN-FAL was a 7.62mm chambered fully automatic rifle with a twenty round magazine,
providing tremendous firepower at the rifleman level. The FAL was technically a battle rifle,
not an assault rifle, due to its heavier, rifle-sized bullet.
The FAL saw extensive service in the West, as well as with many Third World armies in
Central America, South America and Africa. It served on both sides of the Falklands conflict,
equipping both the UK land forces and Argentine Army and Marine Corps. The design is now
considered obsolete and most FAL rifles have been retired.