M60 Patton

M60 Patton. The M60 Patton is an American main battle tank that served as a cornerstone of United States Army and United States Marine Corps armored forces during the Cold War. Developed as a successor to the M48 Patton, it entered service in 1960 and featured significant improvements in firepower and armor protection. Although never directly engaging Soviet forces in Europe, it became a widely exported symbol of Western military power, seeing extensive combat with numerous allied nations across several continents.

Development and design

The development of the M60 was initiated in the late 1950s, driven by intelligence reports on the new Soviet T-54/T-55 series and the perceived need for a more powerful tank gun. The design was essentially a product-improved M48 Patton, utilizing a similar hull shape but incorporating a new turret and the British-designed Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm gun, produced in the U.S. as the M68. Key figures in its development included engineers from Chrysler and the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant. The tank's armor utilized a homogeneous steel cast hull and turret, and it was powered by a Continental AVDS-1790-2 V12, air-cooled twin-turbo diesel engine, which offered greater range and reduced fire risk compared to the gasoline engines of earlier tanks. The initial design prioritized a balance of firepower, protection, and mobility for the expected large-scale armored warfare on the plains of Central Europe.

Service history

The M60 entered service with the United States Army in 1960 and never saw combat with American crews in a major peer conflict, though it was deployed to West Germany as part of NATO's forward defense. Its first major combat use was with the Israel Defense Forces during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, where it performed effectively against Arab forces equipped with T-62s. The tank saw extensive action during the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s, used by both the Imperial Iranian Army and later the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. Turkish M60s were heavily employed in the Cyprus conflict and against Kurdish insurgents. In American service, the M60A1 and later M60A3 models served through the Cold War, with some use in Operation Desert Storm by the United States Marine Corps and in support roles. It was gradually replaced in U.S. frontline units by the M1 Abrams in the 1980s and 1990s.

Variants

The primary variants reflect a continuous upgrade path. The base M60 had a distinctive elliptical commander's cupola. The M60A1, the most produced model, introduced a longer, better-shaped turret. The M60A2 was an experimental variant fitted with a low-profile turret and a 152 mm gun-launcher system for the MGM-51 Shillelagh missile, but it was largely unsuccessful. The definitive model, the M60A3, entered service in 1978 and added a Texas Instruments laser rangefinder, an M21 ballistic computer, and a Topeka thermal shroud for the main gun. Numerous specialized variants were also built, including the M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle and armored vehicle-launched bridge versions. Extensive modernization programs for export, such as the M60-2000 and Sabra upgrades developed by General Dynamics Land Systems, have significantly extended the platform's service life.

Operators

The M60 was one of the most widely exported Western tanks of the Cold War era. Primary original operators included the United States, Israel, Iran under the Pahlavi dynasty, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Many of these nations continue to operate modernized versions; for example, Turkey fields a large fleet of upgraded M60Ts. Other significant operators have included Egypt, Taiwan, Thailand, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco, Tunisia, and Sudan. Following the dissolution of the Yugoslav People's Army, M60s were inherited by successor states including Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tank has also seen service with various non-state actors in regional conflicts across the Middle East.

Specifications (M60A3)

* **Crew:** 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) * **Weight:** 52.6 tonnes (combat loaded) * **Length:** 9.44 m (gun forward) * **Width:** 3.63 m * **Height:** 3.27 m * **Main Armament:** 1 × 105 mm M68 rifled gun * **Secondary Armament:** 1 × coaxial 7.62 mm M73/M219, 1 × 12.7 mm M85 on commander's cupola * **Engine:** Continental AVDS-1790-2C diesel, 750 hp * **Suspension:** Torsion bar * **Operational Range:** 480 km * **Maximum Speed:** 48 km/h * **Armor:** Cast homogeneous steel

Category:Main battle tanks of the United States Category:Cold War tanks of the United States Category:Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s