M60-2000 Main Battle Tank

M60-2000 File:M602000.jpg Type Main battle tank Place of origin United States Specifications Mass 56.52 tonnes (62.30 short tons; 55.63 long tons) Length 9.55m (31ft 4in) (including gun) Width 3.77m (12ft 5in) Height 2.89m (9ft 6in) Crew 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) Armor Unknown Main armament 120 mm M256 Smoothbore Cannon Secondary armament 2 x 7.62 (0.3in) MGs and 1 x 12.7mm (0.50in) MG Engine GDLS (General Dynamics Land Systems) AVDS-1790-9A V12, air-cooled Twin-turbo diesel engine 895.5 kW (1200 hp) Power/weight 22 hp/tonne Suspension Torsion bar suspension Operational range 443 km (275 mi) Maximum speed 51.6 km/h (33 mph)

The General Dynamics M60-2000 or 120S is an upgrade of the M60 Patton tank. The development of the M60-2000 was primarily due to thousands of M60 Main Battle Tanks in service with many nations unable to afford a sufficient force of more modern main battle tanks. General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) devised the M60-2000 upgrade, offering many features of the M1A1 Abrams to existing M60 users at a reduced cost.

The M60-2000 was a GDLS supplied conversion kit, including the gun turret and 120 mm (4.72 in) smoothbore gun of the M1A1/M1A2, to the M60. The upgrade was marketed at those M60 users with the industrial capability to convert the tanks themselves. Along with a new turret, a new diesel powerpack and the transmission system of the M1 were installed on the M60-2000, and has been tested in a standard M60 chassis.

The first potential customer is Turkey. Gneral Dynamics Land Systems has offered to build a prototype of its proposed M60-2000 upgrade of the M60A3 main battle tank to be evaluated by Egypt. The Egyptian Army was considering this offer till it was finally refused and replaced by a national upgrade.

See also

• Sabra (tank)

External links

• Development and History of the M-60 tank
• M60-2000 / 120S Main Battle Tank
• M60A3 Upgrades