The First Ever M60 Tank
At the start of the Korean War in 1950, the US quickly realized their tanks couldn’t begin to compare to those that the Soviet army was using.
Source: Wikipedia
In response, the US dedicated immense funding and time to building a tank that wouldn’t just match the Soviets; they planned to surpass it. That’s when the first M60 Patton was built.
Second Try's a Charm
However, because the US was in such a rush to create a better tank than the Soviets, the M60 Patton was poorly tested, inadequately built, and seriously flawed. But the US didn’t give up.
Source: Reddit
Within just a few years, they had built the second generation, the M60, and this tank was everything the Patton was not… it was perfect.
The M60 Through the 70s, 80s, and 90s
The US debuted the M60s in 1973 by sending them to the Israel Defense Forces during the Yom Kippur War. In the 1980s, Israel used the M60s yet again during the Lebanon War.
Source: Wikipedia
Interestingly, the US didn’t use the M60 tanks they had painstakingly built in their own war until the invasion of Grenada in 1983. But from then on, they were the preferred tank for all combat, including during Operation Desert Storm, where they only lost one M60 while taking out 100 enemy tanks.
The Evolution of the M60 Tank
Throughout these thirty years, the US military also worked on the home front to improve the beloved M60 tank.
Source: Wikipedia
They designed and built the M60A1 and the M60A3, which later became popular among other militaries all over the world. However, even with three fantastic tank models in their arsenal, the US decided to retire all M60s in 1997.
The US Made 15,000 M60s During the 20th Century
Even though the United States knew it wouldn’t use the M60 tanks and the variations forever, the military also understood just how coveted they were.
Source: Quora
So, from the early 1960s until the late 1980s, the US built more than 15,000 M60s, most of which they sold to other allied countries. Today, several militaries worldwide still rely heavily on the M60s they bought from the US decades ago.
Egypt Now Uses More M60s Than Any Other Country
Although the US was done with the M60s before the new millennium, they continued to be the preferred tank for other militaries across the planet and still are to this day.
Source: Wikipedia
Egypt became and is still the leading user of M60s, with more than 1,700 of the now-famous tanks in its arsenal – all of which they purchased from the US over the past several decades.
Turkey Has the World’s Second Largest M60 Fleet
Meanwhile, Turkey boasts the world’s second-largest M60 fleet. However, the majority of the more than 800 M60 tanks in Turkey have been upgraded and modified to fit modern combat.
Source: Reddit
The most common tank in Turkey is the M60A1, also known as the Sabra Mk II. Unlike the original M60, the Sabra has an upgraded main gun and composite and explosive-reactive armor on the hull and turret.
M60s Tanks Are Still Preferred Over the Challenger I Tanks
Additionally, while Jordan only has a few hundred M60 tanks, its military far prefers these models to the newer Challenger I tanks they also use.
Source: Wikipedia
In fact, Jordan has spent a great deal on upgrading their M60s and has completely retired the Challenger fleet, even though the Challenger I tanks are 25 years newer than the M60s.
M60 Tanks Have Been Used in 21 Wars and Counting
As of 2024, M60 tanks or their many variations have been used in 21 wars, and that number will only increase in the coming years as 17 countries still utilize these incredible machines.
Source: Wikipedia
These tanks will undoubtedly live on forever as some of the best military weapons ever made. So, why did the United States decide to stop using them more than 25 years ago?
Why Did the US Retire the M60 Tank?
Realistically, the US could have continued using their thousands of M60 tanks for decades longer than they did.
Source: Wikipedia
However, the military believed that with the ever-advancing technology of the new millennium and a seemingly infinite budget, they could make something bigger and better than anyone else had.
The US Military Now Uses the M1A2 Abrams Tank
And while the M60 is certainly still considered one of the most powerful war machines in the world, the US did build something better: the M1A2 Abrams.
Source: Miliary.com
The M1 Abrams was actually designed alongside the second and third iterations of the M60 in the 1970s. However, after many modifications, the M1A2 Abrams is currently considered the US’ favorite tank and arguably the best of its kind on the planet.