M60 (Family)
Contents
Rank V - Ground Vehicles
Rank VI - Ground Vehicles
Note: There is a variant of the M48 Patton known as the CM-11 "Brave Tiger" or M48H. It uses the hull of the M60A3 and the turret of the M48A3 Patton, but it is only designated as a variant of the M48, and not a variant of the M60.
Development and Design
M60-2000/120S Main Battle Tank
Development
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) began work on an upgrade of the M60 platform as a private venture in 1999. It was originally called the M60-2000, but the name was then changed to 120S, as the vehicle was more than just a simple upgrade of the M60. The 120 stood for the 120 mm gun, and the S stood for speed and survivability. A number of nations were briefed on the design in 2000, and a working prototype was built in 2001. The prototype was shown in Turkey at the IDEF Exhibition in October.
Design
The tank consisted of an M60A1 chassis with an M1A1 Abrams turret mounted on it, both parts loaned by the US Army. Originally, an upgraded M60A3 turret was considered, but the M1A1 turret was preferred. The M1A1 turret could be fitted to the M60 chassis by using an adapter ring; very few modifications to the turret were needed. The turret is that of the standard M1A1, and not the M1A1HA - so no depleted uranium was used in the composite armor. The armor package was customizable for the customer, and one of the options consisted of STANAG Level 6 armor plates being added to the hull front and sides up until the third road wheel. Slat or cage armor could be added to the turret, steel or composite side skirts could be added, and spall liner and ERA packages were also available. The prototype was fitted with mock side skirts lacking the protection of production side skirts; it was also fitted with new sponsons more similar visually to those on the Abrams. The 120S had a crew of 4, with the driver in the hull and the commander, gunner, and loader in the turret.
The suspension of the hull was changed to the same torsion bar suspension system as used on the M1 Abrams, in order to compensate for the increased weight. If the customer preferred, hydropneumatic suspension could be used instead. The powerplant used on the prototype was the same as on the M60A1, the Continental V-12 750 hp (560 kW) air-cooled AVDS-1790-2 diesel engine with a CD-850-6 cross drive transmission, with a range of 275 miles. It was planned that the production vehicles would use the more powerful General Dynamics Land Systems AVDS-1790-9 diesel engine (1,200 hp) and Allison X-1100-5 series automatic giving a range of over 300 miles. Other powerplants were offered as well, and the road wheels and drive sprocket could be changed the the type used on the M1 Abrams, and the T158 lightweight track from the Abrams was also offered.
The armament of the 120S consisted of the 120 mm M256 gun with a thermal sleeve; this was the exact same as on the M1A1 Abrams. 36 rounds were carried in the turret bustle rack with blowout panels for increased survivability. It was planned that there would be additional ammunition stowage in the floor of the hull for production models. The secondary armament consisted of a coaxial 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, a 7.62 mm machine gun mounted on the loader's hatch, and a 12.7 mm M2HB machine gun mounted on the commander's hatch. Two M250 smoke grenade launchers are carried, one on each side of the turret. Each launcher has six barrels for smoke grenades. Not only do the smoke grenades visually conceal the tank, but they also conceal the thermal signature of the vehicle. The tank is also capable of using a vehicle engine exhaust smoke system , which creates smoke by spraying oil on the engine. The tank was equipped with a 240X4 Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR), day/FLIR stabilized sight with an eye-safe laser range-finder, a thermal imaging system, and an onboard digital fire control computer and data bus similar to the M1 Abrams Mark 1 Advanced Fire Control System.
Production
The 120S was mainly marketed to Turkey in order to fill their M60 upgrade requirements, but that contract was won by Israel Military Industries with the Sabra III upgrade. The Egyptian Army considered the 120S upgrade, but decided to license-build M1 Abrams tanks instead. In total, only one prototype was completed, and the 120S never entered production. The prototype was disassembled and both parts were returned to the US Army in 2003. The 120S is no longer being marketed by General Dynamics.
M60A3 SLEP
In May 2016, Raytheon offered the M60A3 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). The SLEP was designed for export to current M60 operating nations, in order to allow for an upgrade of the M60s used by those nations as a cheaper alternative to buying a fleet of newer tanks. The SLEP is a multiple of modular upgrades to the M60 that cover mobility, armor, and firepower. The modularity of the components allow customization for the needs of each country.
The main armament was upgraded to the 120 mm M256 L/44 gun, the same gun as used by the M1A1 Abrams. A fire rate of 6 to 10 rounds per minute with the load assist system. The Integrated Fire Control System (IFCS) was added. The IFCS consisted of a laser rangefinder, second generation night sight for the gunner, digital ballistic computer, cant sensors, electrical superelevation resolver, and MIL-STD 1553 data bus. Additionally, the Curtis-Wright Gun Turret Drive was added, and the M19 commander's cupola was replaced with the Hitrole remote controlled weapon system, which allowed the commander to view the surrounding are from inside the tank, via the .50 cal M2HB machine gun. The engine was replaced with a 950 hp AVCR-1790-2C engine, and the suspension was improved. An Automatic Fire and Explosion Sensing and Suppressing system (AFSS) was added. Slat armor was added to the turret bustle, to protect against RPG and ATGM attacks, and armor plates rated at STANAG 4569 Level 6 protection were added to the front of the vehicle. The finished vehicle weighed about 63 tons.
Leonardo M60A3
The Leonardo M60A3 was unveiled in October 2017 by Leonardo DRS at the Bahrain International Defense Exhibition and Conference (BIDEC). It is intended as an alternative to the M60A3 SLEP upgrade program in order to allow nations using the M60 to bring their tanks up to more modern standards.
The upgrade consists of thorough modernization throughout the different parts of the tank. The 120/54 gun from the Centauro II/MGS is used instead of the 120 mm L/44 gun, in order to reduce the weight by 500 kg. The M19 commander's cupola was replaced with an armored circular cupola protected with slat armor; the new cupola has a much lower profile than the M19 model, and it also weighs less. A HITROLE-L 12.7 mm remote weapons station has been added to the loader's side of the turret roof. The turret was upgraded with a new hydraulic and servo control system, which improves the reliability and performance of the turret. The torsion bar suspension, brakes, fuel supply, electric system, wheels, seals, paint, and smoke grenades were all changed and improved. The tank is fitted with the Automatic Fire and Explosion Sensing and Suppression System (AFSS), along with the LOTHAR gun sight, DNVS-4 Driver's Night Vision Sight and TURMS digital fire control system. A daytime thermal camera and an eye-safe laser rangefinder are equipped. Additionally, if the client requests, IED jamming systems and a laser warning receiver can be fitted. The armor of the tank has also been substantially upgraded. Passive armor protection claimed to meet STANAG Level 6 protection standards has been added to the turret and hull. The armor is focused on the front of the turret in order to protect against chemical rounds, and it is also applied to the front of the hull and the hull sides until the third road wheel. Slat armor was added to the back of the turret, in order to protect against RPG attacks. The powerplant can either be refurbished or replaced with an improved version. The improved powerplant consists of the AVDS-1790-5T 908 hp engine (replacing the old 750 hp engine) and the CD-850-B1 transmission.
Variants
American Variants
Combat
- XM60
- M60
- M60E1
- M60A1
- M60A1 AOS
- M60A1 AOS+
- M60A1 RISE
- M60A1 RISE+
- M60A1 RISE Passive
- M60A1 AOS
- XM66
- M60A1E1
- M60A1E2
- M60A1E3
- M60A1E4
- M60A2
- M60A3
- M60A3 TTS
Specialized
- M60 AVLB
- M60A1 AVLB
- M60 AVLM
- M60A1 AVLM
- XM1060 ROBAT
- M60 Panther MDCV
- M88 Recovery Vehicle
- M88A1
- M88A2 Hercules
- M728 CEV
- M728A1
- M9 Bulldozer Kit
Export
- E60 Series
- E60
- E60A
- E60B
International
Egyptian Variants
- Ramses II
Iranian Variants
- Zulfiqar 1
- Zulfiqar 2
- Zulfiqar 3
- Samsam
Israeli Variants
- Magach 6
- Magach 7
- Pereh/Onager
- M60 Tagash AVLB
Jordanian Variants
- M60 Phoenix
Taiwanese Variants
- M60A3 Chariot
Turkish Variants
- M60T Sabra Mk I
- M60T Sabra Mk II
- M60T Sabra MK III
- FIRAT-M60T/M60TM
Spanish Variants
- M60 VLPD 26/70E
- M60CZ-10/25E Alacran
Commercial Upgrades
- M60AX/Super M60
- M60-2000/120S
- M60A3 SLEP
- Leonardo M60A3
