The US Super M60 Tank Upgrade Package

The US Super M60 Tank Upgrade Package

The US Super M60 Tank Upgrade Package Background

The M60 family is a US developed and manufactured Main Battle Tank, which was the last of the famous Patton series of tanks of the US Army. The M60 tanks entered service with the US Army in 1960. The M60A1 with a new turret, thicker armour and a new ammunition stowage system was manufactured from 1962 to 1980. The M60A2 was had a new turret fitted with a 152mm gun and missile launcher. The vehicle had a limited production run and service life. The successful M60A3, which incorporated improvements to the gun fire control and entered service in 1978.

The M60A1 and A3 were exported to NATO and US friendly countries as either new vehicles or in later years as the US had a surplus stock of these tanks as it was replaced in US Army service by the superior M1 and M1A1 Abrams.

Known as the Super M60, the vehicle was a US developed upgrade package for the export market developed during the 1980’s to increase the protection, firepower and mobility for the M60A1 and A3.

The US Super M60 Tank Upgrade Package

Firepower

The M60 series had used the M68 105mm rifled main gun, which was a US manufactured version of the world famous British L7. The Super M60 retained the use of a 105mm rifled main gun, but an improved version called the M68A1.

It also used different machine guns, but were retained  in the same positions (coaxial and commanders cupola) and same calibres.

Protection

The vehicle was fitted with an appliqué modular armour package over the turret and front arc of the hull, giving the vehicle a greater level of protection against shaped charge weapons as the modules not only act as a stand-off with which the charge detonates against thus creating a greater distance for the released copper jet to travel to the original skin by which time has simply fizzled out, but you can insert laminated or compositions of hardened ceramic materials in so as to defeat penetrator rounds.

The new also gave the vehicle a new shape.

Mobility

The existing Continental AVDS-1790 engine was replaced with a new more powerful Continental Motors CR-1790-1B 1180hp V12 diesel engine and a Renk RK 304 automatic transmission with 4 forward and 4 reverse gears.

Operators of The US Super M60 Tank Upgrade Package

The upgrade package was never purchased and no longer marketed. It has been replaced with the MBT-2000 aka the 120S.