M1A1Abrams
The Ml Abrams is the principal Main Battle Tank (MET) of the US Army and Marine Corps. Originally developed as a stopgap until a more advanced tank could be fielded, the Ml struggled for acceptance from its first trials in 1976. It was criticized for high cost, high fuel consumption, and, especially, maintainability problems. Further criticism focused on the 105-mm M68 gun, which was initially chosen over the Rheinmetall 120-mm gun.
Many of the early problems have been remedied, and, at its best, the M1A1 armed with the Rheinmetall-designed 120-mm smoothbore gun is possibly the best combination of firepower, mobility, and protection of any tank in service. Its performance in Operation Desert Storm demonstrated a convincing superiority over the Soviet-designed T-72 (admittedly an export variant) as well as relatively high reliability and mobility.
The smoothbore gun (also fitted to the German Leopard 2 and several other MBTs) fires a broad range of projectiles including two types of Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot
(APFSDS) rounds. With upgrades, the gun tube’s Effective Full Charge (EFC) life has risen from 500 to 1,000 rounds.
Fire control is sophisticated, relatively simple to use, and a major contributor to the tank’s cost. In the M1A2, electronic complexity and integration has become “vetronics” (vehicle electronics), with many of the systems linked through a Texas Instruments MIL-STD-1553B digital databus. One of the most important enhancements in the M1A2 is the Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV), which permits the commander to search and independently select new targets.
The Mi’s relatively high mobility is achieved through a high power-to-weight ratio conferred on the tank by its 1,500-hp gas turbine powerplant that is compact, starts more readily, and requires less maintenance than a comparable diesel but is noted for its poor fuel mileage. The problem is significandy exacerbated by the lack of an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) that would provide power to the tank’s electronics when stationary. (In tanks produced after mid-1990, an Allied-Bendix digital electronic fuel control system is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by 18%-20%.)
The suspension permits relatively high cross-country speeds. The Mi’s high weight (57-63 metric tons) limits the number of bridges it may cross and restricts its airportability to the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy (which can carry only one tank). Low mileage between track replacement also reduces the Mi’s mobility, although newer FMC-Goodyear T158 tracks have a claimed lifetime of 2,113 mi (3,400km).
Protection is afforded by the spaced, laminate “Chobham” armor also found on the Leopard 2 and British Challenger MBTs as well as by the Abrams’ low silhouette. The frontal armor is described as a semimobile matrix of aluminum, plastics, and glues in pockets that can be opened for improved combinations such as a steel-encased depicted-uranium mesh, which is said to produce an almost impenetrable carapace at the cost of an increase in weight.
Passive protection includes stowage of the main gun’s ammunition in a bustle separated from the rest of the turret by fast-closing access doors and covered with blow out panels. The fire-suppression system has also proved effective.
VARIANTS •
Ml (2,374 produced) with 105-mm/51-cal M68E1 rifled gun and 55 rounds. Improved Ml (IPM1) (894 produced) with cast trunnions for later refit with 120-mm gun.
M1A1 Block I introduced the 120-mm M256 gun, updated fire control system, collective overpressure NBC protection, stronger transmission and suspension.
M1A2 (M1A1 Block II) with vetronics
integrated through MIL-STD-1553B
databuses; Fire Control Electronics Unit (FCEU) coordinates CITV stabilization, primary sight, and gun turret drive.
DEVELOPMENT •
The Ml with the 105mm gun and weighing about 60 short tons achieved initial operational capability in 1983. Produced by the Land Systems Division of General Dynamics at the Lima Army Tank Plant in Lima, Ohio, and the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in Warren, Michigan. The original 1972 plan to procure 3,312 tanks was superseded several times until more than 8,131 had been delivered. 2,374 “basic” Mis and 894 Improved Mis (IPMls) capable of being refitted with the 120-mm gun were produced by 1986.
Production then switched to the M1A1 Block I, which introduced the 120-mm main gun. 4,680 (221 for the Marine Corps) MlAls were produced. The M1A2, which emphasized vetronics, was to be produced in large numbers, but production was curtailed to 62 by defense spending reductions. Many Mis are being upgraded to M1A1 standards.
Egypt is coproducing 555 MlAls, while Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have procured several hundred MlAls each. In 199394, Congress added funds to upgrade 210 Ml and M1A1 models to M1A2 standards. Plans called for nearly 800 more upgrades.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
When Operation Desert Storm’s ground war began on February 24, 1991, approximately
1,650 MlAls (and another 300 Mis with 105-mm guns) were in Saudi Arabia; 60 of these were “loaned” to the Marine Corps, who used them effectively despite little time to prepare. Admittedly, assessments of the Abrams’ performance must take account of unusually favorable conditions; thus, results were unusually positive. Still, the Abrams, handled by well-trained Army and Marine Corps crews, performed superbly in the battle it was asked to conduct.
During the tank battles, the Ml’s sighting and targeting systems performed well in haze, fog, and swirling sand. Unfortunately, lack of a means to identify targets positively led to the destruction of several “friendly” armored vehicles.
In tank-to-tank duels, Mis often beat T-72 tank crews to the first shot, and that shot often scored a fatal hit. (Many Iraqi tank turrets blew clear away from the chassis or flipped upside down.) Moreover, the 120-mm gun’s much greater effective range kept the Ml well out of the 125-mm gun’s killing range. Armor protection proved even more effective than expected, allowing few penetrating hits and no crew fatalities.
Concerns about mobility and reliability were met with a conservative refueling policy (every three to five hours) and high scheduled maintenance rates. As a result, the Mis set the pace during the advance into Iraq and Kuwait. One 120-mile (193-km) night move of several hundred Abramses ended successfully without a single mechanical casualty. Clearly, the success of the Left Hook owed much to the Abrams’s good performance.
SPECIFICATIONS •
CREW 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
COMBAT WEIGHT
M1A1: 126,000 Ib (57,154 kg) M1A2 with depicted-uranium armor:
139,080 Ib (63,086 kg)
ground pressure
M1A1: 13.70 Ib/in2 (0.96
kg/cm2) M1A2: 15.40 Ib/in2 (1.08
kg/cm2)
DIMENSIONS
length 26 ft (7.92 m), gun
forward 32 ft 3 in (9.83
m)
width 12 ft (3.65 m) with skirts
height 9 ft 6 in (2.89 m) to top
of cupola
length of track on ground
15 ft 3 in (4.65 m)
ground clearance
19 in (480 mm) center,
17 in (430 mm) sides
track width 25 in (635 mm)
MAIN GUN 120-mm/46-cal M256 smoothbore gun with 40 rounds elevation -10°/+20°, traverse 360°
SECONDARY WEAPONS 7.62-mm M240 coaxial machine gun, 7.62-mm M240 machine gun for loader, 12.7-mm M2 machine gun for commander
SENSORS AND FTRE CONTROL
M1A1: 12-kilobyte digital ballistic computer, primary stabilized sight with 3- and 10-power day optics, unity vision with 18° field of view, integrated Nd-YAG laser range-finder, night vision/sight with thermal imaging M1A2: CITV, Driver’s Thermal Viewer, SINCGARS radio, eye-safe CO2 laser rangefinder, position/ navigation system, intervehicular information system ARMOR Chobham-type armor on glacis and turret and armored bulkheads between turret and engine, depicted-uranium armor in production in 1988 POWERPLANT Avco-Lycoming AGT-1500 1,500-shp 2-spool free-shaft multifuel turbine, Detroit Diesel X-1100-3B hy-drokinetic transmission with 4 forward/2 reverse gears power-to-weight ratio
M1A1: 26.24 hp/metric ton
M1A2: 23.78 hp/metric ton
SUSPENSION (EACH SIDE) torsion bar, 7 road wheels with 15-in (381-mm) travel, rear drive, front idler, 3 internal rotary shock absorbers, 2 return rollers
SPEED road 41.5 mph (66 km/h), cross-country 30 mph (48 km/h), acceleration, 0-20 mph (32 km/h) 6.87.2 sec, range (M1A1) 289 miles (465
km) (M1A2) 243 miles (391 km)
OBSTACLE CLEARANCE vertical 3 ft 6 in
(1.07 m), gradient 60%, trench 9 ft
(2.74 m), fording 4 ft (1.22 m) without preparation, 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) with preparation
XM8 Armored Gun System
The FMC XM8 Armored Gun System (AGS) is designed to incorporate tank-level firepower in a compact, mobile, and airportable vehicle. The controversial AGS concept originated in the early 1980s as a means to provide more powerful direct support to rapidly deployable forces such as the US Army’s light, mountain, and airborne divisions. Doubts remain about its ability to avoid engaging heavy forces while usefully supporting offensive action.
The M8′s profile resembles a conventional tank, and the vehicle has a typical tank layout. The high engine compartment aft limits gun depression to a 270° arc. The large electrohydraulic, two-axis stabilized turret is asymmetrically laid out with the gun left of center in the mantlet and the turret slightly to the right of the centerline in the hull. (The combination of asymmetries repositions the gun on the vehicle centerline.)
The XMS’s main armament is the 105-mm XM35 tank gun, a modified M68 that was turned upside down by Rheinmetall of Germany and fitted with a soft-recoil system that doubles the recoil length and buffers it through a rifled, multislotted muzzle brake that is 35% efficient. A fume extractor is fitted halfway up the barrel. When the gun is depressed, its breech recoils through hydraulically operated doors in the turret roof.
FMC Naval Systems Division supplies the 21-projectile autoloader; nine more rounds are stowed forward near the driver. The AGS can fire a full range of 105-mm ammunition, including Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot
(APFSDS) rounds.
Fire control equipment includes the Computing Devices Corp. digital fire control system with 32-bit microprocessors and MIL-STD-1553B digital databus. The gunner’s primary sensor is the Hughes Aircraft Co. day/night thermal sight and integrated laser range-
finder in a two-axis stabilized mount on the right side of the turret. A relayed picture of the gunner’s sight image can appear in the commander’s sight.
To balance the contradictory demands imposed by airportability and the need for some level of protection, the AGS can be fitted with four levels of protection: none, Level 1 against splinters, Level 2 against armor-piercing small-arms and small-cannon fire, and Level 3 against cannon up to 30-mm. The crew compartment is sealed against Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) warfare effects, even when the gun’s recoil doors are open.
Vehicle mobility is aided by a relatively high power-to-weight ratio and relatively low ground pressure. Maintainability is enhanced by a powerpack that can be rolled out through a drop-down rear door for repair or replacement. An essential feature of the M8′s design is its airpor-tability: three can be loaded into a C-5 or C-17 transport, two into a C-141, and one in a C-130. The C-130 can deliver the “stripped” M8—lacking any armor and the commander’s cupola—in a Low-Velocity Airdrop (LVAD).
DEVELOPMENT •
In its earlier trials form, the M8 was known as the Close Combat Vehicle Light (CCVL). Development of the predecessor CCVL began in 1983, with prototype rollout on August 30, 1985. Interest in the AGS waxed and waned throughout the 1980s for many reasons; requirements were difficult to reconcile—the Army and Marine Corps had differing ideas.
After several changes and delays, a $27.7-million contract for Phase I was awarded on June 4, 1992, to FMC Corp. Defense Systems Group of San Jose, California (now United Defense); full Phase I contract amount was $119.6 million. Approximately 300 vehicles are planned, with an initial operational capability in 1996-97.
In September 1993, United Defense
and Taiwan’s Hwa Fong Industries announced plans to build several hundred M8s for Taiwanese service.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
None.
SPECIFICATIONS •
CREW 3 (commander, gunner, driver)
COMBAT WEIGHT ranges from 36,900 Ib
(16,738 kg) (airdrop) to Level 3 armor 52,000 Ib (23,587 kg)
ground pressure
12.161b/in2 (0.86kg/cm2)
DIMENSIONS
hull length 20 ft (6.1 m), with gun forward 30 ft IVa in (9.18m)
extreme width
8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
height to top of turret
7 ft 9M> in (2.37 m) ground clearance
16 in (406 mm) length of track on ground
11 ft 10 in (3.61m) track width 15 in (381 mm) MAIN ARMAMENT Rheinmetall/
Watervliet 105-mm/51-cal rifled gun with 21 ready rounds in autoloader and 9 stowed in hull elevation -10°/+20°, traverse 360° weapons 7.62 coaxial machine gun and 12.7-mm M2HB antiaircraft machine gun
SENSORS AND FERE CONTROL digital fire control computer, stabilized day/ night thermal sight and laser range-finder for gunner, 8 periscopes for commander, 5 periscopes for driver with image intensifier in center
ARMOR aluminum hull with steel armor modules
POWERPLANT Detroit Diesel 6V-921A 550-hp liquid-cooled turbocharged 2-stroke V-6 diesel engine, General
Electric HMPT-500-3EC hydro-
mechanical, infinitely variable transmission with 3 forward/1 reverse ranges
power-to-weight ratio
30.47 hp/metric ton (Level 1) down to 23.32 hp/metric ton
(Level 3)
SUSPENSION (EACH SIDE) independent trailing arm torsion bar, 6 road wheels, rear drive, front idler, 5 linear shock absorbers, 10-in (254-mm) wheel travel, no return rollers
SPEED 43.5 mph (70 km/h), acceleration 0-20 mph (0-32 km/h) at Level 3 weight 6.5 sec, range 300 mi (483 km)
OBSTACLE CLEARANCE vertical 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m), gradient 60%, side slope 40%, trench 7 ft (2.13 m), fording 3 ft 4 in (1.02m)
M41 Walker Bulldog
The M41 is a light tank developed by the US Army in the late 1940s for reconnaissance and tank destroyer missions. Its armor is much heavier than contemporary light tanks such as the AMX-13 and the PT-76; the design of the latter two vehicles, however, more accurately presaged a postwar trend toward emphasizing firepower and mobility in a vehicle smaller than theM41.
The M41 has proved to be reliable and sturdy—except for its gasoline engine. It remains in service in several countries, although it was phased out of service in the US in the 1960s.
Upgrade programs concentrate on replacing the gasoline engine with a diesel engine (to achieve much greater range) and providing modern fire control equipment, such as a laser rangefinder, and more powerful ammunition. Among these are the Danish M41 DK-1, Taiwanese Yung Hu, and several dozen Brazilian M41s. Brazilian and Uruguayan tanks are armed with 90-mm guns.
The M41 hull and suspension were also used to mount twin 40-mm antiaircraft guns (M42 Skysweeper) and were built up into the M75 armored personnel carrier.
DEVELOPMENT •
Manufactured at the Cleveland (Ohio) Tank Arsenal by Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors, achieving initial operational capability in 1951. Approximately 5,500 M41s were built.
Although long since phased out of the US Army, the M41 remains in service with several other countries.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) operated M41s against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces during the 1960s and early 1970s.
SPECIFICATIONS •
CREW 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
COMBAT WEIGHT 51,800 lb (23,497 kg) ground pressure
10.24 Ib/in2 (0.72 kg/ cm*)
DIMENSIONS
hull length 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m), with gun forward 26 ft 11 in (8.21 m)
width 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m)
height to cupola top
8 ft 11 in (2.73m) length of track on ground
10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) ground clearance
17.8 in (450 mm) track width 21 in (533 mm) MAIN ARMAMENT 76-mm/60-cal M32 rifled gun with 57 rounds in M41, M41A1, 65 rounds in M41A2/A3 elevation – 93/4°/+193/4°, traverse 360°
Brazilian tanks have bored-out Ca 76/90
M32 BR2 that fires
Belgian 90-mm
Cockerill Mk III
ammunition; Uruguayan tanks have Cockerill Mk III gun
SECONDARY ARMAMENT coaxial 7.62mm M1919A4E1 machine gun with
5,000 rounds, 12.7-mm M2 HB air-defense machine gun with 2,175 rounds
SENSORS AND FTRE CONTROL commander has M20A1 periscope, gunner has M97A1 telescopic sight and M20A1 periscope, most have manual-hydraulic traverse and rack-and-pinion manual elevation
ARMOR
glacis: 25.4 mm at 30°
hull: 31.75 mm at 45° front, 19 mm rear, 9.25-31.75 mm floor, 12-15 mm top
turret: 38 mm mantlet, 25.4 mm front, 25 mm sides and rear, 12.7 mm roof
POWERPLANT
Continental AOS-895-3 (M41, M41A1) 500-hp air-cooled supercharged 6-cylinder gasoline engine
Continental AOSI-895-5 (M41A2,
M41A3) fuel-injected gasoline engine
Allison CD-500-3 powershift crossdrive transmission with 4 forward/2 reverse gears power-to-weight ratio
21.31 hp/metric ton SUSPENSION (EACH SIDE) torsion bar, 5 dual road wheels, rear drive, front idler, 3 hydraulic shock absorbers, 3 return rollers SPEED 45 mph (72 km/h), range 100 mi (161 km)
OBSTACLE CLEARANCE vertical 2 ft 4 in
(0.71 m), gradient 60%, side slope 30%, trench 6 ft (1.83m), fording without preparation 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m), fording with preparation 8 ft (2.44 m)
M48 Patton
Once the principal Main Battle Tank
(MET) of the US Army and Marine
Corps, the M48 was fully replaced by the M60 in US service. When it was introduced, the M48 represented a considerable improvement over the M47 Patton,
having a better turret shape and less complicated sighting system but still having a relatively high profile and limited mobility. M48s have been the subject of several fire control update programs, and many now have laser rangefinders and thermal sights.
The M48A5 version is quite different from the original M48. As designed in the late 1940s, the M48 had a 90-mm M41
rifled tank gun and a Continental AV-1790 gasoline engine. The tank’s mobility was severely limited by low fuel mileage, and, beginning with the M48A3, a diesel engine based on the AV-1790 was installed. The tank’s power-to-weight ratio dropped, but its road range nearly quadrupled.
Raising firepower also proved possible with the retrofitting of the ubiquitous L7A3 (license-built as M68) 105-mm rifled tank gun to existing turrets. Fewer rounds can be stowed, but the increases in range and accuracy more than outweigh the loss of magazine capacity.
The conversion of earlier M48s to the M48A5 standard has proved to be a good solution to the need in many armies for a better tank at considerably less than the cost of a new one. The Turkish M48A5T1/T2 is the best M48 variant in service. Tl has a Turkish-built 105-mm gun and saw its first deliveries in September 1983. The T2 adds a laser range-finder, Texas Instruments thermal sights for commander and gunner, Control Data Corp. solid-state ballistic computer, and Cadillac Gage Textron gun stabilization. Serial production began in 1987.
VARIANTS • M48 with 810-hp AV-1790 gasoline engine, 90-mm M41 rifled gun, and 60 rounds of ammunition.
M48A2 had higher-powered 825-hp gasoline engine, larger fuel tanks, fully automatic transmission, and suspension system modifications.
M48A3 rebuilt M48A1 and A2 with Continental AVDS-1790 diesel engine, fire control system updates, fuel capacity
increase. First examples introduced in 1964 with further large programs undertaken in 1967 and 1975.
M48A5 are M48A1 and M48A3 with the 105-mm M68 rifled gun and many changes to the fire control systems, engine air-cleaning system, and most other related systems. First deliveries 1975, last of 2,064 delivered in 1979.
M48 AVLB (Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge) that spans a 60-foot (18.29 m) gap.
(M67 series were flamethrower tanks used in Vietnam but no longer fielded.)
DEVELOPMENT •
Production began at Chrysler Corp.’s Newark, Delaware, plant in 1950, the tank achieving initial operational capability in 1953 (M48).
11,703 M48 series tanks were produced, 6,000 by Chrysler, the others by American Locomotive Co. (Alco) in Schenectady, New York, and by General Motors at the Detroit Tank Plant in Warren, Michigan. More than 15 countries still operate the M48.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
TheM48was the only medium-to-heavy tank to operate with US forces during the Vietnam War. It proved to be reliable and relatively rugged. Israeli M48s (many with diesel engines and 105-mm guns) met with considerable success against Arab tanks in the 1967 Six-Day War. On the other hand, Israeli gasoline-powered M48s acquired the nickname of Ronson, because they caught fire so easily after being hit.
SPECIFICATIONS (M48A5) •
CREW 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
COMBAT WEIGHT 107,997 lb (48,987 kg)
ground pressure
12.51 Ib/in2 (0.88 kg/
cm2)
DIMENSIONS
hull length 21 ft (6.42 m), with gun forward 30 ft 6 in (9.31 m)
width 11 ft 11 in
(3.63 m) height 10 ft 1 in
(3.09 m) length of track on ground
13 ft 1 in (4.0 m) ground clearance
16 in (406 mm) track width 28 in (711 mm) MAIN ARMAMENT 105-mm/51-cal M68 rifled gun with 54 rounds elevation -9°/+19°, traverse 360°
SECONDARY ARMAMENT Coaxial 7.62mm M73 machine gun, antiaircraft 7.62-mm M60D machine gun with
10,000 7.62-mm rounds total
SENSORS AND FIRE CONTROL
M13 electromechanical ballistic computer, coincidence rangefmder, infrared driving lights and searchlights
Taiwanese and Turkish M48s fitted with AN/VSG-2 Tank Thermal Sights (TTS) that have laser range-finder and Mercury-Cadmium-
Telluride (HgCdTe) IR detector for
passive night and dust vision
ARMOR
hull: 101/120 mm front, 76 mm sides (max), 44 mm rear, 57 mm top
turret: 110 mm front, 50 mm rear, 25 mm top
POWERPLANT Teledyne Continental AVDS-1790-2D 750-hp air-cooled V-12 diesel, Allison CD-850 series automatic planetary transmission with 2 forward/1 reverse gears power-to-weight ratio
15.89 hp/metric ton
SUSPENSION (EACH SIDE) torsion bar, 6 road wheels, rear drive, front idler, 3 hydraulic shock absorbers, 5 return rollers (M48A3 has 3 return rollers)
SPEED 30 mph (48.2 km/h), range 309 mi (499 km)
OBSTACLE CLEARANCE vertical 3 ft (0.92 m), gradient 60%, trench 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m), fording 4 ft (1.22 m) without preparation, 8 ft (2.44 m) with preparation
M60 Tank
U.S. GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
M60 main battle tank
The M60 is in US service only in National Guard and Reserve units, but was the principal US Main Battle Tank (MET) for two decades. It was developed from the earlier M48 Patton series. Although criticized for its high silhouette and limited cross-country mobility, the M60 is a rugged and reliable tank that has proved amenable to many updates over a long career; the M60A3 with the Tank Thermal Sight (TTS) is considered a frontline tank in most scenarios.
Firepower was increased over the M48 by adoption of the British-designed L7 105-mm/51-cal rifled gun with thermal sleeve and fume extractor in a reshaped turret. The turret permits high elevation and depression angles (-10V+200) but contributes to the high silhouette. The M60A3 TTS has a hybrid solid-state ballistic computer, laser rangefinder, tank thermal sight, and turret stabilization system.
Mobility and range were increased over that of the M48 by installing a diesel engine, but, compared to other contemporary tank designs, the M60 power-to-weight ratio is still relatively low and its ground pressure relatively high. Armor protection is considered quite good compared to its contemporaries.
VARIANTS •
M60A1 was the principal production version for 17 years.
M60A2 with 152-mm Shillelagh gun/ missile system; 13 missiles and 33 conventional 152-mm combustible charge.
M60 AVLB (Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge) spans a 60-ft (18.29 m)
gaP-
M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle (CEV).SeeM728.
DEVELOPMENT •
Over 15,000 were built from 1960 to 1987 by Chrysler at
Newark, Delaware, and Detroit Tank Plant in Warren, Michigan, with the Detroit plant building the great majority. The M60 achieved initial operational capability in 1961, M60A1 in 1963, M60A2 in 1974, and M60A3 in 1979.
M60A1 production (for the US Marine Corps) ended in 1980. M60A3 production for the US Army ended in 1983, and the last Foreign Military Sales (FMS) vehicles rolled out in late 1987. Conversion of5,400 older models to M60A3 TTS ended in FY1990.
At its peak, the US Army’s M60 inventory totaled 8,887 tanks, the first reductions coming in 1990 as part of the disposal of older US tanks in anticipation of a Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) arms limitation. Also in service in more than 15 other countries.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
TheM60was used extensively by Israeli forces in the 1973 Yom Kippur War in tank battles both in the Sinai and, more critically, in the Golan Heights.
210 M60Als were fielded by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) during Operation Desert Storm in February 1991; another 39 were embarked on some of the 31 landing ships deployed in the northern Persian Gulf. The lstMEFM60s, some equipped with mine-clearing rakes, supported the Saudi-Marine drive into eastern Kuwait that ended in Kuwait City.
As expected, the 105-mm gun proved effective against the Iraqis’ Soviet-built T-55 and T-62 tanks. In addition, the commanding general of the 1st Marine Division stated that even T-72s had been destroyed by the M60A1. Most shots were fired from relatively short range (500 m), with at least one APFSDS round boring its way through a T-72′s frontal armor and emerging from the rear engine compartment.
Given the M60′s performance in Desert Storm, arguments against replacing it with the expensive M1A1 gained some strength. Despite these sentiments, however, all M60s were out of active Marine Corps service by the end of 1991.
SPECIFICATIONS (M60A3) • CREW 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
COMBAT WEIGHT 116,000 lb (52,617 kg)
ground pressure
12.37 lb/in2 (0.87 kg/ cm2)
DIMENSIONS
length 22 ft 9 in (6.95 m) hull,
30 ft 11 in (9.44m) gun forward width 11 ft 11 in (3.63m)
height 10 ft 9 in (3.27 m)
ground clearance
18 in (457 mm)
length of track on ground
13 ft 7 in (4.24 m)
track width 28 in (711 mm) MAIN GUN 105-mm/51-cal M68 rifled
gun with 63 rounds
equation -10°/+20°, traverse 360° SECONDARY WEAPONS 7.62-mm M240
coaxial machine gun with 5,950
rounds, 12.7-mm M85 antiaircraft gun
with 900 rounds SENSORS AND FIRE CONTROL M21 Solid-
state analog ballistic computer, AN/
WG-2 ruby laser rangefinder usable
by both commander and gunner,
AN/VSG-2 Tank Thermal Sights
(TTS) with laser rangefinder and Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride (HgCdTe) IR detector for passive night and dust vision POWERPLANT Continental AVDS-1790-
2C 750-hp air-cooled 4-stroke V-12
multifuel engine, Allison CD-850-6/6A powershift crossdrive transmission with 2 forward/1 reverse gears
power-to-weight ratio
14.24 hp/metric ton SUSPENSION (EACH SIDE) torsion bar, 6
road wheels, rear drive, front idler, 3
shock absorbers, 3 track return rollers SPEED 30 mph (48.3 km/h), range 298
mi (480 km)
OBSTACLE CLEARANCE vertical 3 ft
(0.91 m), 60% gradient. 30% side
slope, trench 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m), fording 4 ft (1.22 m) without preparation, 7 ft 10 in (2.4 m) with preparation
Stingray
The design goals for this light tank were to incorporate tank-level firepower in a compact, mobile, and airportable vehicle. Given the vehicle’s small size and relatively low weight, a premium has been placed on firepower and mobility at the expense of protection (and perhaps some degree of ruggedness).
The Stingray’s main armament is a low-recoil development (known as the Low-Recoil Force or LRF gun) of the widely used Royal Ordnance L7A3 105-mm rifled tank gun in a Cadillac Gage three-man turret. The LRF has a multislotted muzzle brake, concentric fume extractor, and thermal sleeve; it can fire a full range of 105-mm ammunition, including Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) rounds.
A relatively high power-to-weight ratio and relatively low ground pressure contribute to mobility. The Stingray is transportable by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
For protection, the Stingray depends on Cadloy armor, ballistic shaping, small silhouette, and mobility. The low turret has many oblique angles that make a flush impact virtually impossible and also simplify adding more armor if needed. Soon after Stingrays entered service in Thailand, modifications began to add armor to the frontal arc, which increases the weight by approximately 4,400 lb (2,000 kg). Such reinforcement (and reportedly an exuberant driving style) led to the discovery of cracks in the hull that were repaired by FMC in 1993.
DEVELOPMENT •
The first Cadillac Gage turret was tested in June 1984, and the first hull in August 1984. The complete vehicle began testing in 1985. A candidate for the US Army’s XM4 Armored Gun System (AGS) light tank program, which was canceled, it lost to the FMC entry in the later XM8 program.
SPECIFICATIONS •
CREW 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
COMBAT WEIGHT 44,500 lb (20,185 kg)
ground pressure
9.81 Ib/in2 (0.69 kg/
cm2)
DIMENSIONS
hull length 20 ft 8 in (6.3 m), with gun forward 30 ft 5 in (9.27m)
width 8 ft 10′/2 in (2.71 m)
overall height
8 ft 4 in (2.55m),
reducible to 7 ft 10 in
(2.4m) length of track on ground
11 ft 11 in (3.63m) ground clearance
18 in (457 mm) track width 15 in (381 mm)
MAIN ARMAMENT L7A3 LRF 105-mm
rifled gun with 8 ready rounds, 24 stowed in hull
elevation -7.5°/+20° at 8%ec
(unstabilized), 40°/sec (stabilized), traverse
360° at 25°/sec
(unstabilized), 30°/sec (stabilized) SECONDARY WEAPONS 7.62 coaxial machine gun with 400 ready rounds, 2,000
stowed; 7.62-mm air defense machine gun with 200 ready, 2,000 stowed rounds (or 12.7-mm air defense machine gun with 100 ready, 1,000 stowed rounds)
SENSORS AND FIRE CONTROL Optic-Electronic Corp. M36E1 SIRE day/
night sight with laser rangefinder for gunner and optional thermal sight, 7 periscopes for commander with optional NV52 day/night sight, optional Marconi digital fire control system, optional 2-axis turret stabilization
ARMOR Cadloy steel armor; turret armor is reported to defeat 14.5-mm rounds over the frontal arc and 7.62mm rounds from any angle
POWERPLANT Detroit Diesel Allison
8V-92TA 535-hp liquid-cooled turbo-
charged 2-stroke V-8 diesel engine, Allison XTG-411-2A automatic transmission power-to-weight ratio
26.5 hp/metric ton
SUSPENSION (EACH SIDE) independent trailing arm torsion bar, 6 road wheels, rear drive, front idler, 3 shock absorbers, 3 return rollers
SPEED level road 42 mph (68 km/h), 10% slope 18 mph (29 km/h), 60% slope 3.7 mph (6 km/h), acceleration 0-20 mph (0-32 km/h) 7 seconds,
range 300 mi (483 km)
OBSTACLE CLEARANCE vertical 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m), gradient 60%, side slope 40%, trench 7 ft (2.13 m), fording 3 ft 6 in (1.07m)
