Patton tank
| Insert Image |
| General Characteristics |
| | M48 | M60 |
| Length: | 21 ft | 22 ft 9 in |
| Width: | 11 ft 11 in | 11 ft 11 in |
| Height: | 10 ft 1 in | 10 ft 8 in |
| Weight: | 52 t | 57.3 t |
| Speed: | 40 mph | 30 mph |
| Range: | 258 mi | 280 mi |
Primary
armament: | 90mm rifled cannon, 105mm M68 rifled gun (M48A5) | 105 mm cannon |
Secondary
armament: | .50 caliber machine gun, 7.62mm machine gun | .50 caliber machine gun, 7.62mm machine gun |
| Power plant: | 690 hp gasoline (later diesel) | 750 hp diesel |
| Crew: | 4 | 4 |
The M47, M48 and M60 Patton were the United States Army's principal tanks following World War II. It is named after General George Patton, commander of the Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest advocates for the use of tanks in battle.
The M47/M48
In October of 1950, Detroit Arsenal began work on a new medium tank that featured a 90mm gun and would replace the M4 Sherman tanks of World War II. The first tank developed was named the M47 and production began in 1952. The Army took delivery of the first vehicles in 1953 and the tank was dubbed the M48 Patton.
The tank was a new design compared to the tanks of World War II. The design provided the vehicles with far more protection from projectiles as before and was much larger than any previous medium tank design.
From 1952 to 1959, nearly 12,000 M48s were built. The early designs used a gasoline engine which gave the tank a short range and caught fire easily. The vehicle was considered unreliable and not fit for service. In 1959, the tanks were upgraded to the M48A3 model which featured a diesel power plant.
In the mid 1970s, the M48A5 upgrade was developed allowed the vehicle to carry the heavier 105mm gun. This was designed to bring the M-48s up to speed with the M-60 tanks now in regular use. Most of the M-48s were put into reserve service by this time.
By the mid-1990s, the M-48s were no longer in use in any service. However, many foreign countries continue to use the M-48 models.
M48 Combat Service
The M48s saw action during the Vietnam War as did another variant of the M48, the M67A2 flamethrower tank. The M48s performed admirable in Vietnam for their role. Because there was few actual tank battles, the M48s provided adequate shelter for its crew from small arms, mines and RPGs.
M47s and M48s were first used in tank warfare by Pakistan in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War with poor success, although much of this has been credited to poor tactics from Pakistan.
M48s were also used during Six-day War where Israel used M48s on the Sinai front of the war. The Israeli Army also captured about 100 M48 and M48A1 tanks from Jordan and pressed them into their own service after the war.
The M60
In 1957, it was determined that the Soviets were in the provess of developing a new medium tank, the T-54, with a 100mm gun, superior to that of the American M48 tank. In response, an M48 tank was fitted with a new engine and later with a British 105mm L7 series gun. This new vehicle, originally designated M68 was put into production in 1959, reclassified as the M60 and entered service in 1960. Over 15,000 M60s (all variants) were constructed.
In 1963, the M60 model was modified as the M60A1. This new model, which stayed in production until 1980, featured a number of improvements to accomodate the new, larger turret of the M60, including to the hull and to the shock absorbers.
In 1978, work began on a new variant, the M60A3. It featured a number of technological enhancements, including smoke dischargers, a new rangefinder and ballistic computer and a turret stabilization system. All American M60s eventually underwent the conversion to the A3 model.
M60 Combat Service
The M60 first saw some action in the Vietnam War with the Marine Corps. Later the Marine Corps also used the M60A1 variant in Operation Desert Storm in opposition to the Soviet-supplied Iraqi T-72 tanks which were comparable, if slightly better-gunned than the M60s. The M60A1s supported the effort into Kuwait City.
A few M60s and M60A1s also saw action with Israel during the Yom Kippur War in both the Sinai and the Golan Heights. During and slightly before the conflict, the United States sent additional M60s to Israel for their defense. Following the war, the IDF received many more M48s, M60s and M60A1s from the U.S.
Israel further upgraded their stock of M60s prior to their use in the invasion of Lebanon in 1982 as part of Operation Peace for Galilee. The Israeli modifications included new tracks and explosive reactive armor (ERA). This variant was known as the Magach 6B. Further work in Israel has been done on the upgraded Magach 6 models, adding new armor, new fire controls, a thermal sleeve and smoke dischargers. This model, the Magach 7 (with variants A through C) is still in use within the IDF.
See also
See also: List of tanks, M1 Abrams
External links
Referenced By
List of tanks
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