An extremely capable main battle tank, the M48 Patton was the third US tank to be named after the famous WWII general George S Patton, who was a strong advocate of the use of tanks on the modern battlefield. Introduced in 1953, the M48 would be used extensively by American forces during the Vietnam War, where it would perform well, but more in an infantry support role as opposed to tank destroyer. It would also go on to be an export success, seeing service with around twenty countries all over the world, with many still in service during the last years of the 20th Century.