M60A3/M60A3 TTS Patton, USA

Specification:

First prototype: M60A3 1978 First production: M60A3 1978-1990 (new build plus conversions ofMBOAl) Current users: M60A3-Austria, Bahrain, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, USA; M60A3 TTS-Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan (Army and Marine Corps) Crew: 4 Combat weight: 52 620 kg Ground pressure: 0.87 kg/cm2 Length, gun forwards: 9.44 m Width: 3.63m Height (with AA gun and cupola): 3.27 m Ground clearance: 0.45 m Max. road speed: 48 km/h Maximum range: 480 km Fording: unprepared 1.22 m Gradient: 60% Side slope: 30% Vertical obstacle: 0.91 m Trench: 2.6m Powerpack: AVDS-1790-2C RISE V-12 aircooled diesel developing 750 hp coupled to an Allison CD-850-6A automatic transmission Armament: (main) 1 x 105 mm gun (63 rounds); (coaxial) 1 x 7.62 mm MG; (anti-aircraft) 1 x 12.7 mm MG; (smoke dischargers) 2 x6 Manufacturer: General Dynamics M60A3 showing uncovered six-round British smoke dischargers on turret side.

M60/M60A1 Fatten USA

The XM60 105 mm gun tank prototypes were an outgrowth of the M48 series, with the M60 production model being equipped with the old hemispherical M48-style turret and a new design of hull chassis. These were quickly followed by the definitive M60A1 model which used a narrower shaped turret with greater ballistic protection and many internal /external equipment and stowage arrangement changes.

The main armament is the 105 mm M68 series rifled gun with bore evacuator. An NBC system is fitted and a complete set of night- fighting vision equipment is carried including M35E1/M36E1 passive day/night commander's and gunner's sight assemblies; anAN/VSS-1 or AN/VSS3A white-light/infra-red searchlight unit over the gun mantlet and an AN/WS-2 driver's night vision periscope viewer. In addition to the main production models a total of 526 M60A2 tanks, combat weight 51 980 kg, were built from 1966 onwards. Armed with a 152 mm Ml62 gun/Shillelagh missile launcher and 46 HE-T/HEAT-T-MP/ canister/smoke rounds/missiles they proved troublesome in service and were withdrawn from use for conversion to support vehicles.

Egypt and the US Marine Corps used MSOAls during Operation Desert Storm. The former fitted their vehicles with a 1700 kg explosive reactive armour (ERA) package for use in the Gulf. All Marine Corps M60Als have now been withdrawn from service. Ten ex-Marine Corps M60A1 (ERA) were given to the Italian Army for use in Somalia, as they have lost at least two of their own MSOAls to light anti-armour weapons.

Apart from the M60 support vehicles