Powered by twin diesel engines that produced 760 horsepower, the M60 had a top speed of 30 miles per hour on roads, with a range of approximately 300 miles. This was based on the British-designed L7 rifled gun tube and cartridges, but it featured an American-designed mount, breech assembly, and recoil mechanism, while it offered up to six inches of homogenous steel armor on the hull. It was initially armed with the M68 105mm rifled main tank gun.

The M60 was meant to address threats from new Soviet tank designs, notably the T-54/55 line of MBTs.

The M60 was an evolutionary leap forward, and it became the go-to tank of the U.S. The M60 was actually a new design that featured numerous improvements, including a more powerful engine, increased armor, a more powerful main gun, a newly developed turret, and a vastly improved hull.

The original M60 bears a close resemblance to the M48A2 “Patton,” and it is often informally grouped into that line of tanks.

Officially designated the “Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60,” the second-generation MBT has been considered as a descendant of the Patton family of tanks that emerged during the early stages of the Cold War.

M60a1 main battle tank