![]() ![]() titled “American Tank Development,” explains that the M60 came to life during the Korean War when the Pentagon realized its tank force size and quality may be outmatched by the Soviet Union. The enhanced turret and add-on ballistic protection improve survivability against shaped charge and kinetic projectiles.While retired and ultimately out-performed and replaced by the Abrams main battle tank, the M60 fuselage and engineering have inspired subsequent armored designs for “bridge vehicles, recovery vehicles and combat engineering platforms.”Īn interesting 1998 paper from the Armor Magazine, Army’s Fort Benning, Ga. Within the turret, the only major changes are for ammunition racking and the fire control system. The characteristics, including dimensions, recoil force and range, are almost identical to those of the existing 105mm system. No machining or welding is necessary on the turret to match the 120mm with the M60. The 120mm gun was developed to fit the relatively small turret dimensions of older tanks. Similar to the gun developed for the Merkava Mark 3 main battle tank, it is mated with thermal imaging sights and the "Knight" fire control system and which provides a fire on the move capability. The Sabra's main armament is a new 120mm Gun system which is interoperable with NATO weapon systems and ammunition. The original 60s and 70s technology is replaced by new systems which will extend the life of the M60 into the next century as an effective weapon system capable of defeating modern tanks. The Sabra upgrade package is now being marketed elsewhere internationally. The Sabra Main Battle Tank is a modernised upgraded M60A3, orignally developed for a proposal to Turkeyīy Israel Military Industries.
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