M60
M60 (Stock)
The M60 is a gift tank awarded to players for finishing in top places in the first Clan War campaign (top 50 in RU cluster, top 30 in EU, NA, and SEA). It is not currently available in the tech tree, gift shop, or by any bonus codes at all. The M60 is a representation of the first production variant of the M60, and should not be confused with the M60A1 and later variants.
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Highest base view range in the game, along with the M48 Patton
- Great mobility
- Excellent gun depression
- Great on the move accuracy
- Great rate of fire
Cons:
- Very large profile for a medium
- Very thin armor
- Slightly worse hp/t than the M48 Patton
- Very weak against arty fire
Performance
The M60 plays very much like an M48 Patton, boasting the same rate of fire, gun depression, alpha, and penetration. However, there are some key differences between the two. Overall, the armor on the M60 is weaker than on the M48 Patton due to thinner armor at a worse slope, while still being as large as the M48. However, to make up for this, the M60 has better mobility and a slightly faster turret and track traverse speed; 2 degrees each, which help. Secondly, the M60 has better soft stats such as terrain resistance, on-the-move dispersion and turret traverse dispersion. Thirdly, it has better accuracy and aim time, by 0.01 accuracy and 0.2 seconds aim time, respectively. Players who enjoy the M48 Patton will find the M60 to be a substantial upgrade.
The M60 plays very much like a jack of all trades while being a master of none. It can go along with heavies and support them, wolfpack with mediums, or passive scout due to its very high view range. Though it's very multi-purpose, it does not excel in any of these roles, and will generally fall short compared to other more specialized tanks.
Early Research
This vehicle is elite in its stock configuration
Historical Info
This information made its way to the United States, where the Army had been experimenting with a series of upgrades to their M48 Patton tanks. Most of these were relatively minor upgrades, and all of them retained the Patton's T-48 90 mm gun. Most experiments focused on improved armour and a variety of autoloader systems and upgraded rangefinders. The British reports led the Army designers to choose the L7 for future work on their own tanks, and a somewhat hurried program to develop a platform for the L7 followed.
In 1957, plans were laid in the US for a tank with a 105 mm (4.1 in) main gun and a redesigned hull offering better armor protection. The hull was a one piece steel casting divided into three compartments, with the driver in front, fighting compartment in the middle and engine at the rear.
The resulting M60 series largely resembles the M48 it was based on, but has significant differences. The M60 mounted a bore evacuated 105 mm main gun, compared with the M48's 90 mm (3.5 in), had a hull with a straight front slope whereas the M48's hull was rounded, had three support rollers per side to the M48's five, and had road wheels constructed from aluminum rather than steel, although the M48 wheels were often used as spare parts.
The improved design incorporated a Continental V-12 750 hp (560 kW) air-cooled, twin-turbocharged diesel engine, extending operational range to over 300 miles (480 km) while reducing both refueling and servicing. Power was transmitted to a final drive through a cross drive transmission, a combined transmission, differential, steering, and braking unit.
The hull of the M60 was a single piece steel casting divided into three compartments, with the driver in front, fighting compartment in the middle and engine at the rear. The driver looked through three M27 day periscopes, one of which could be replaced by an infrared night vision periscope. Initially, the M60 had essentially the same clamshell turret shape as the M48, but this was subsequently replaced with a distinctive "needlenose" design that minimized frontal cross-section to enemy fire and optimized the layout of the combat compartment.
The M60 was the last U.S. main battle tank to utilize homogeneous steel armor for protection. It was also the last to feature an escape hatch under the hull. (The escape hatch was provided for the driver, whose top-side hatch could easily be blocked by the main gun. Access between the driver's compartment and the turret fighting compartment was also restricted, requiring that the turret be traversed to the rear).
Originally designated the M68, the new vehicle was put into production in 1959, reclassified as the M60, and entered service in 1960.
Historical Gallery
Sources and External Links
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