M60 Patton Tank
Photo General Dynamics Land Systems
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Built by Chrysler largely at the Detroit Arsenal,
the first M60s were fielded in 1960. Too heavy for use by the U.S. Army in
Vietnam, the M60, with its 105mm main gun, saw its first action while
serving with the Israeli Army during the 1973 Yom Kippur War where the
tank performed well. The first action the Patton saw with U.S. forces was
during the Gulf War where 210 tanks helped spearhead the First Marine
Expeditionary Force’s drive into Kuwait. More than 15,000 M60s were
built by Chrysler between 1960 and 1983, with conversion continuing until
1990. Today, more than twenty foreign countries still rely on this tank
for its armored forces.
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