Hobby Master HG5613 | M60A1 "Wicked Bitch" USMC, Operation Desert Storm 1991

General Background:

The M60 was initially introduced in 1960 and often incorrectly referred to as a Patton. The M60 resembled the M48 because it was based on the M48 but with some significant alterations and improvements. M60 has a 105mm Main Gun while the M48’s was 90mm and the front slope was straight compared to the M48’s rounded front plus other modifications. The M60 was the last U.S. tank to use homogenous steel as well as an escape hatch in the floor for the driver. Between 1986 and 2002 Egypt purchased M60A3 tanks and other variants from the U.S. and several other countries. The list included 1,016 M60A3 and 700 M60A1RISE variants. Presently Egypt is the largest operator of the M60A3’s.

The Tank:

On August 2, 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait and refused to leave so a multi-nation coalition force, led by the U.S. was formed and on January 17, 1991 the combat phase to remove Iraq began. When the war began the USMC was starting to re-equip from their M60A1s to the M1A1 Abrams. There wasn’t time to complete the change so the 2nd and 4th Battalions were equipped with the M1A1 while the 1st, 3rd and 8th Battalions used the M60. Between February 24th and 28th 1991 the USMC defeated the Iraqi forces in Kuwait and forced them to retreat.

General Specifications for the Detroit Arsenal (Chrysler)
Role – Main Battle Tank (MBT)
Production Period – 1960-1987
Number Produced All Variants – Over 15,000
M60 - A total of 2,205 M60s were built
M60A1 - A total of 7,948 M60A1s were built
M60A2 - 540 M60A2s were built
Year First Introduced
M60 – 1960
M60A1 – 1962
M60A2 – 1974
M60A3 – 1979
Crew – 4 X Commander, Driver, Gunner, Loader
Dimensions
Overall Length
M60 – 30.5 ft (9.3 m)
M60A1 – 31 ft (9.4 m)
M60A2 – 24.1 ft (7.3 m)
M60A3 – 31 ft (9.4 m)
Width
M60 – 11.9 ft (3.6 m)
M60A1 – 11.9 ft (3.6 m)
M60A2 – 11.9 ft (3.6 m)
M60A3 – 11.9 ft (3.6 m)
Height
M60 – 10.5 ft (3.2 m)
M60A1 – 10.5 ft (3.2 m)
M60A2 – 10.9 ft (3.3 m)
M60A3 – 10.5 ft (3.2 m)
Combat Weight
M60 – 50.5 tons (45.8 mt)
M60A1 – 57.6 tons (52.2 mt)
M60A2 – 57 tons (51.7 mt)
M60A3 – 57 tons (51.7 mt)
Performance
Powerplant - 1 X Continental AVDS-1790 Turbo Super Charged Fuel Injected 90° V-12 Cylinder Air-Cooled Diesel Producing 750 hp (559 kw)
Transmission – Detroit Diesel Allison CD850 Series 2-Speed Forward, 1 Reverse
Road Speed – 30 mph (48 km/h) Range – 310 miles (500 km) Armament
Main Gun M60 – 105 mm M68 Rifled, Typical Load 63 APFSDS-T, APDS-T, APERS-T, HEAT M60A1 – 105 mm M68 Rifled, Typical Load 63 APFSDS-T, APDS-T, APERS-T, HEAT M60A2 – 152 mm M162 Gun-Launcher, 13 Shillelagh Guided Missiles, 33 Conventional Rounds HEAT-MP, HE M60A3 – 105 mm M68 Rifled, Typical Load 63 APFSDS-T, APDS-T, APERS-T, HEAT
Machine Gun
M60 – 7.62 mm M73 6,000 Rounds, Coaxial To Main Gun
M60A1 – 7.62 mm M73 6,000 Rounds, Coaxial To Main Gun
M60A2 – 7.62 mm M219 6,000 Rounds, Coaxial To Main Gun
M60A3 – 7.62 mm M240 6,000 Rounds, Coaxial To Main Gun
M60 - .50 cal M85 Machine Gun, 900 Rounds Turret Cupola
M60A1 - .50 cal M85 Machine Gun, 900 Rounds Turret Cupola
M60A2 - .50 cal M85 Machine Gun, 900 Rounds Turret Cupola
M60A3 - .50 cal M85 Machine Gun, 900 Rounds Turret Cupola