The M-60 Patton Tank Is Still a Mean Machine

War is Boring ^ | May 13, 2016 | Dave Majumdar

[C19fan]

Raytheon is pitching a new upgrade for the venerable M-60A3 Patton main battle tank that would turn the elderly design into a competitive force on the modern battlefield — all at a fraction of the cost of a new vehicle.

[Ancesthntr]

“Don’t we have a bunch in National Guard stores?”

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They have stores? What’s the website? :>)

[Frederick303]

A large number of them were sunk off the east coast to make artificial reefs after the first gulf war.

I believe these were worn ones that would have required a lot of work to bring them back into first line condition. It is my understanding that tanks sort of wear out and require a lot of work to rebuild if you are going to keep the fleet working.

[DCBryan1]

Don’t we have a bunch in National Guard stores?

Nope. Unlike the Russians, we stupidly do things with our armaments like turn them into a reef.

Cheap china steel kept steel prices down.

On the other hand, Russia has tens of thousands of T-34/85s, JS-3s, T-55s, T64Bs, T72s etc stored (most rusting hulks) as an emergency contingency to restore/rearm/resale....and they learned after WWII that the severe steel shortage they had, that they would never get rid of steel. They just stack it and store it. They have VAST war stocks that just need oil/gas to go. These pictures show the steel storage that would take MONTHS to restore.

[DCBryan1]

Don’t we have a bunch in National Guard stores?

We do have the Sierra Army Depot but those are not near enough in ready condition to fight a quick war. I guess its easier to build new ones than restore older equipment.

. One thing is for sure. We could not spin up 10 - 20 mech/armor divisions in case WWIII breaks out or a 2 front world war say, vs Russia, and Vs China in a large conventional sense.

[rjsimmon]

Given the right motivation, the Abrams that are stored there could be back in the fight in short order.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

When Eisenhower said to beware the Military Industrial complex he foresaw Raytheon. Anytime you see Raytheon’s name in conjunction with the military be very skeptical.

However, there may still have some leftovers from GD that haven't fallen to the Raytheon Darkside yet.

[T-Bird45]

What a photo - looks like a couple of brigades’ worth of APCs and CPs in just the little bit of detail I can identify.

[Vermont Lt]

I know...that is what I was referring to.

[archy]

The tank does its best work when you’re machine-gunning communications vans or driving through mess tents.

It's kind of fun to catch another tank unit refueling or getting an ammo resupply though.

[archy]

I suppose one could drape reactive armor over the Patton. It might block sub caliber sabot penetrator rounds for a shot or two. I’d love to have a Patton for my front lawn

The Israelis have finally retired their Magach reworked M48 and M60 tanks, and they are up for sale at some very reasonable prices. You can book your flight on El Al, but I think you'll want to return by ship.

[archy]

The Turks and various Arab countries still have M-60s in their inventory.

Egypt is now the number one user of the M60/M60A1 in the world.

[archy]

Given the right motivation, the Abrams that are stored there could be back in the fight in short order.

Total production of the Abrams was around 5000 vehicles. Total production of the M60/M60A1 was around 15,000.

[archy]

Desert Storm was first and last time for use in my career....... loved the M60A3.

I liked the M48A2C I went through tanker school at Ft Knox with. I REALLY liked the brand-new M60A1 that I was assigned to in my first line tank unit, and lo and behold, when we fired for qualification, I was not only given the job of gunner, but posted the highest gunnery score on our battalion. Which scored higher than any other tank outfit in Europe. Later I went on to the M60A1 AOS, the M60A1 RISE and the M60A3, as well as a couple of assignments in M48A3s and a short one in the M48A5. But the old M60A1 was the girl what I brung to the dance, and we had a great time together....

[Squantos]

Opinion on the M551 ?

[archy]

My Tank Leader told me stories of how each station had a big red kill button that the crew would be ready to hit when the stabilizer was engaged. When the stab worked, all was good with the world but when it didn’t, the turret would spin wildly.

Six complete revolutions in a minute, kind of fun the first time it happened...wheee! Unfortunately, one of our line companies had it happen when a driver had his head up out of the driver's hatch. Messy.

Best thing about those M60A1 AOS upgrades? The new tracks with the removable/replacable track pads. It was kind of neat being able to shoot on the move *from the hip* with the stab turned on, but we had been known to do that even before stabilization came in. They fixed most of the runaway probems when the later M60A1 RISE version came out though.

[archy]

Opinion on the M551 ?

I've crewed on 'em, went through the Table 8 gunnery course twice on one [that 152 is both loud and flashy and overloaded for the vehicle, the '60A3 was a better use of the Shillelaigh] and was on the Seventh Army Parachute Delivery Test Program for the M551, which is howcum I went through the West German jump School at Altenstadt and learned how to throw myself as far away from a C119 *Dollar Nineteen* Flying Boxcar as I could. Not really a tank, could have been a tank destroyer. The Army called it an *Armored Reconnaisance Vehicle* which it might have been but you could hear one from three miles off. Only carried around 20 rounds main gun ammo though.

[Rockpile]

Besides the steel the Russians are retaining supplies of spare parts they would not have to tool up to remake.

Remember reading years ago about the Soviets building bunker emplacements on the Mongolian and Chinese borders and instead of just machine guns they were installing the turrets from old MBTs.
Two men could command quite a swath of territory that way.

[Rockpile]

Did the problems with the M85s ever get worked out?
I recall feed jamming and sight failure.

Only time I shot one the sight didn’t work.

I suppose they used the same belt/ link as the M2.

[GOPJ]

Besides the steel the Russians are retaining supplies of spare parts they would not have to tool up to remake. Remember reading years ago about the Soviets building bunker emplacements on the Mongolian and Chinese borders and instead of just machine guns they were installing the turrets from old MBTs. Two men could command quite a swath of territory that way.

If we went to war we'd have to get our spare parts from China...

[Squantos]

No, not for limited use I got out of the 100 hour war and 7 months of smashing ass in the gulf. . I had to get ammo linked specific for the M85 , links did not interchange with the MaDuce to best of my memory....