monkey model

English

Etymology

Coined by Soviet and Russian writer Viktor Suvorov in 1982

Noun

monkey model (plural monkey models)

1. (military, informal) A downgraded version of a weapon for export or war-time mass production, which lacks many advanced functions of the original version.
   • 1983, Terry B. O’Rourke, “The Soviet Threat”, in Claremont Review of Books‎^[1], volume 11, number 4, archived from the original on 11 November 2024:

     But as Suvorov observes, the Soviets manufacture two variants of equipment: the standard model and the stripped-down “monkey” model for export, which is sold abroad as “latest” equipment.

   • 2013 February, “Military Vehicles Forecast: T-72”, in Forecast International‎^[2], archived from the original on 6 December 2025:

     1974 […] Development of initial export ("monkey model") version of T-72

   • 2015 May 22, Christian Beekman, “Why Russia’s New Tanks Are A Wake-Up Call For The US”, in Task & Purpose‎^[3], archived from the original on 8 March 2026:

     Even if the Russia continues the “monkey model” policy for export gear, a downgrade T-14 could still stack up well against Western tanks, like the Abrams, Leopard 2, and Challenger 2.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see monkey,‎ model.