M60 tank

M60
Original M60 variant on display at the Lewis Army Museum in 2016
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1959–present[1][a]
Used by	See Operators
Wars	Cold War Yom Kippur War Western Sahara War Ogaden War Iran–Iraq War Invasion of Grenada Lebanese Civil War 1982 Lebanon War Multinational Force in Lebanon Persian Gulf War Yemeni Civil War (1994) 2011 Bahraini uprising Houthi insurgency in Yemen Kurdish–Turkish conflict Cambodian–Thai border dispute Sinai insurgency Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Turkish military intervention in the Second Libyan Civil War
Production history
Designer	Chrysler Defense Engineering
Designed	1957
Manufacturer	Chrysler Corporation Delaware Defense Plant (1959; initial low-rate production) Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (1960–1983)
Unit cost	M60: $481,911 (1962) M60A1RISE: $703,278 (1976)[2] M60A2: $726,712 (1974)[3] M60A3TTS: $1.292 million (1990)[4]
Produced	M60: 1959–1962 M60A1: 1962–1980 M60A2: 1973–1975[3] M60A3: 1978–1983[5]
No. built	Over 15,000 (all variants)
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	M60: 50.7 short tons (46.0 t; 45.3 long tons) M60A1: 52.6 short tons (47.7 t; 47.0 long tons) M60A2: 52.0 short tons (47.2 t; 46.4 long tons) M60A3: 54.6 short tons (49.5 t; 48.8 long tons)[6]
Length	M60/M60A1/M60A3: 6.946 meters (22 ft 9.5 in) (hull), 9.309 meters (30 ft 6.5 in) (gun forward) M60A2: 6.946 meters (22 ft 9.5 in) (hull), 7.3 meters (23 ft 11 in) (gun forward)[7]
Width	M60/M60A1/M60A2/M60A3: 3.631 meters (11 ft 11.0 in)[7]
Height	M60: 3.213 meters (10 ft 6.5 in) M60A2: 3.1 meters (10 ft 2 in) M60A1/M60A3: 3.27 meters (10 ft 9 in)[7]
Crew	4[8]
Armor	Upper glacis[9] M60: 3.67 in (93 mm) at 65° 8.68 in (220 mm) LoS M60A1-M60A2-M60A3: 4.29 in (109 mm) at 65° 10.15 in (258 mm) LoS Turret front[9] M60: equals 7 in (180 mm) M60A1-M60A3: equals 10 in (250 mm) M60A2: equals 11.5 in (290 mm)
Main armament	M60/M60A1: M68 105 mm (4.1 in)[10] M60A2: 152 mm (6.0 in) M162 Gun/Launcher[10] M60A1 RISE Passive/M60A3: M68E1 105 mm (4.1 in)
Secondary armament	.50 BMG (12.7×99mm) M85 mounted on M19 commanders cupola[11] 7.62×51mm NATO M73 machine gun (after 1972 redesignated as M219) or M240C (after 1978)
Engine	Continental AVDS-1790-2 V12, air-cooled twin-turbo diesel engine 750 bhp (560 kW)[7]
Power/weight	15.08 bhp/st (12.4 kW/tonne)[7]
Transmission	General Motors, cross-drive, single-stage with 2 forward and 1 reverse ranges[7]
Suspension	Torsion bar suspension
Ground clearance	1 foot 6.2 inches (0.463 m)[7]
Fuel capacity	385 US gal (1,457 L)[7]
Operational range	300 miles (500 km)[7]
Maximum speed	30 mph (48 km/h) (road) 12 mph (19 km/h) (cross country)[7]

The M60 is an American second-generation main battle tank (MBT). It was officially standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60 in March 1959.^[1] Although developed from the M48 Patton, the M60 tank series was never officially christened as a Patton tank. It has been called a "product-improved descendant" of the Patton tank's design.^[12] The design similarities are evident comparing the original version of the M60 and the M48A2. The United States fully committed to the MBT doctrine in 1963, when the Marine Corps retired the last (M103) heavy tank battalion. The M60 tank series became America's primary main battle tank during the Cold War,^[13] reaching a production total of 15,000 M60s.^[14] Hull production ended in 1983, but 5,400 older models were converted to the M60A3 variant ending in 1990.^[5]

The M60 reached operational capability upon fielding to US Army European units beginning in December 1960.^[15] The first combat use of the M60 was by Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, where it saw service under the "Magach 6" designation, performing well in combat against comparable tanks such as the T-62. In 1982, the Israelis again used the M60 during the 1982 Lebanon War, equipped with upgrades such as explosive reactive armor to defend against guided missiles that proved very effective at destroying tanks. The M60 also saw use in 1983 during Operation Urgent Fury, supporting US Marines in an amphibious assault on Grenada. M60s delivered to Iran also served in the Iran–Iraq War.

The United States' largest deployment of M60s was in the 1991 Gulf War, where the US Marines equipped with M60A1s effectively defeated Iraqi armored forces, including T-72 tanks. The United States retired the M60 from front-line combat after Operation Desert Storm, with the last tanks being retired from National Guard service in 1997. M60-series vehicles continue in front-line service with a number of countries' militaries, though most of these have been highly modified and had their firepower, mobility, and protection upgraded to increase their combat effectiveness on the modern battlefield.

The M60 has undergone many updates over its service life. The interior layout, based on the design of the M48, provided ample room for updates and improvements, extending the vehicle's service life for over four decades. It was widely used by the US and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world, despite having been superseded by the M1 Abrams in the US military. The tank's hull was the basis for a wide variety of prototype, utility, and support vehicles such as armored recovery vehicles, bridge layers and combat engineering vehicles. As of 2015,^[update] Egypt is the largest operator with 1,716 upgraded M60A3s, Turkey is second with 866 upgraded units in service, and Saudi Arabia is third with over 650 units.

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