| The
design for the venerable M60 tank series dates back to the mid 1950's,
and had been a mainstay in the U.S. armed forces since then. In order to
survive the increasing demands of battlefield operations, it has
undergone numerous upgrades and improvement throughout the past 30
years. First produced in the Warren Army tank plant, Detroit, Michigan,
U.S.A. in October 1963, the type M60A1 variant has been acknowledged one
of the masterpieces in U.S. armor history. Major improvements found in
the A1 version was the M68 105mm main gun, which was mounted in a sleek
wedge-shaped monobloc-cast turret. The U.S. Marines, who currently
operate he M60A1 tank, have opted not to upgrade it to the A3 version
because of plans to employ the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. However,
they did install the state-of-the-art reactive armor array on their
M60's for improved survivability against shaped-charge missiles and
shells, calling the tank an M60A1 + (plus). The externally mounted
reactive armor (ERA) used on the M60A1 + tanks is a bolt-on kit, that is
spaced away from the main armor, adding additional dead air space for
increased protection. Combined with the RISE (Reliability Improved
Selected Equipment) program, including the improved stabilized gun,
passive searchlight, a new air cleaner, etc., the M60A1 + is highly
capable of remaining in the front line operation as proved during the
latest Persian Gulf Conflict |
