The M60 is an American second-generation main battle tank (MBT). It was officially standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60 in March 1959. [1] Although developed from the M48 Patton, the M60 tank series was never officially christened as a Patton tank.

Oct 23, 2016 · There were 15,000 M60 Patton tanks produced in a period between 1961 to 2005 when the last ones were retired from the U.S. military. Nevertheless, the Patton is still in wide use and is constantly being upgraded to match the current standards.

Aug 23, 2024 · In the M60 Patton, one found greater cruising range than its predecessors, it had superior firepower, and enhanced armor—all things that were needed to deter the Soviet Red Army from marching...

Jan 13, 2025 · As a famous descendent of the 1950s-era M48 Patton main battle tank, the second-generation M60 tank served as a key foundation of the US Army’s Cold War …

The M60 was designed to improve the M48 Patton, incorporating a more powerful 105mm M68 gun, a diesel engine for better fuel efficiency, and enhanced armor protection.

The M60 "Patton" medium main battle tank was the U.S. Army's primary armored vehicle during the height of the Cold War. All along the Iron Curtain, Patton tanks stood vigilantly, ready to defend western democracy.

The M60 was the last U.S. main battle tank to utilize homogeneous steel armor for protection. It was also the last to feature the M60 machine gun and an escape hatch under the hull. Originally designated the M68, the new vehicle was put into production in 1959, reclassified as the M60, and entered service in 1960.

The M60 Patton main battle tank entered service in 1960 to counter the new Soviet tanks found to have superior firepower to the M48 series of tanks then serving in Europe. The M60 provided better firepower, armor protection, and cruising range.

By the 1990s the M60 Patton main battle tank was primarily found in US Reserve and National Guard units, but it served as the primary US main battle tank for two decades prior to the introduction...

Jul 30, 2021 · The M60 Patton was the mainstay of the U.S tank fleet in the 1960s and 1970s, before being replaced by the M1 Abrams tank currently in service.