What is the difference between the M48 and M60?

The M60 hull had a straight slope and beak compared to the earlier M48’s rounded one. The armor was improved, at 6 inches (155 mm) on the front glacis and mantle of solid rolled homogeneous armor, while it was 4.3 inches (110 mm) on the M48.

Was the M60 used in Vietnam?

The M60 later served in the Vietnam War as a squad automatic weapon with many United States units. Every soldier in the rifle squad would carry an additional 200 linked rounds of ammunition for the M60, a spare barrel, or both.

Is the M60 a good gun?

American soldiers loved it and hated it. They loved its reliability and rate of fire but disliked its bulk, which earned it the nickname “the Pig.” Changing the barrel on an M60 was an awkward, cumbersome task, all but impossible in the heat of battle.

What is the difference between the M48 and the M60?

The first turret used on the M60 resembles the M48’s. Overall the M60 tanks had somewhat better armor than the M48s. At times these tanks had quite comparable characteristics, capabilities, etc. For example, the M48A5 tank was an upgrade of the M48 to make it comparable to an M60A1.

What is the difference between a Patton and an M60?

Although developed from the M48 Patton, the M60 series was never officially classified as a Patton tank, but as a “product-improved descendant” of the Patton series. In March 1959, the tank was officially standardized as the 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank M60.

Why was the M60 so important?

The M60 was the American response to the Soviet T-54A main battle tank after one was captured by Hungarians during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The American main tank at the time, the M47 and M48 Pattons and with their 90 mm cannon, was found to be incapable of defeating the T-54 armour from the front.

When was the first M48 tank made?

A deep modernization of the M48 tank. Development of the prototype was started in 1957, and in 1959 the order for production of the first tank was placed with Chrysler. A total of 15,000 vehicles of four modifications were manufactured. The most successful American medium tank in the immediate post-war period.