Egyptian M60A3 tanks were reported among armored vehicles positioned near the Gaza border for the expanded Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 campaign; public reporting supports deployment and security use, not a detailed engagement history for the variant.
Tanks
M60A3 tank
Also known as
- M60A3 TTS
- M60A3 Passive
- 105 mm Gun Tank M60A3
- Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60A3
The M60A3 is the final major U.S. production upgrade of the M60 main battle tank family, pairing the 105 mm M68E1 gun with laser rangefinding, a solid-state ballistic computer, crosswind sensing, and the later Tank Thermal Sight configuration. The cataloged conflict record covers Egyptian Sinai security deployments, Turkish cross-border use in Syria, and Republic of China crisis-response drills during the 2022 Taiwan Strait escalation.
Role in Conflicts
- Side
- Turkey
Turkish M60A3, M60T, and Leopard 2A4 tanks were hit by anti-tank guided missiles during Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria; Turkish defense reporting ties those M60A3 combat losses and survivability concerns to later M60A3 modernization work.
Role detailsRepublic of China Army M60A3 tanks conducted counter-amphibious landing operations during Penghu live-fire exercises on August 24, 2022, amid the Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis; the evidence supports crisis-response fielding and deterrent training, not combat use against opposing forces.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- United States
- Type
- Main battle tank
- Service note
- Late Cold War main battle tank still operated by foreign users during post-2011 conflicts
- Designer
- U.S. Army Ordnance and Chrysler Defense
- Designed
- 1970s M60A1 upgrade program
- Unit cost
- Varied by production, conversion, and foreign military sales package
- Produced
- M60A3 production and conversions from the late 1970s through 1990
- Number built
- Part of the wider M60 family, with thousands of M60A3 new-build and conversion vehicles
- Developed from
- M60A1
Specifications
- Crew
- 4
- Main armament
- 105 mm M68E1 rifled gun
- Secondary armament
- 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and .50 caliber commander's machine gun
- Combat weight
- About 57.3 tons
- Engine
- Continental AVDS-1790-series 750 hp diesel
- Maximum road speed
- About 30 mph
- Range
- About 280-312 miles depending on source and configuration
- Fire control
- Laser rangefinder, M21 solid-state ballistic computer, crosswind sensor, and VSG-2 Tank Thermal Sight on TTS vehicles
Fire-Control Upgrade
The M60A3 kept the M60A1 lineage's 105 mm gun and four-person layout, but its reader-visible difference is the fire-control suite rather than a new hull. The upgrade paired a laser rangefinder with the M21 ballistic computer and automatic inputs such as crosswind and cant sensing; TTS vehicles then added a thermal gunner's sight for night, smoke, haze, and other poor-visibility conditions.
Rangefinding
A laser rangefinder replaced the older optical rangefinder approach used on previous M60-family fire-control layouts.
Ballistic computer
M21 solid-state computer processed ammunition, range, crosswind, and other firing inputs.
Thermal-sight split
M60A3 TTS vehicles received the VSG-2 Tank Thermal Sight in place of the passive gunner's night sight.
Variants
Because this record covers the M60A3 and M60A3 TTS together, the variant list is limited to sourced adjacent designations rather than repeating the current model.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| E60B | Foreign Military Sales designation | Used for export M60A3-family vehicles under the M60 series foreign-sales designation structure. Sources: M60 Tank Wikipedia Baseline |
Mounted Machine Guns
The M60A3 secondary armament is documented as a commander's 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Commander's heavy machine gun class | The M60A3 technical data sheet lists an M85 12.7 mm heavy machine gun in the commander's cupola, matching the catalog's 12.7 mm heavy-machine-gun class entry. Sources: M60A3 Technical Data Sheet |
 | Coaxial machine gun class | The M60A3 armament section lists a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun mounted with the main armament, matching the catalog's 7.62 mm machine-gun class entry. Sources: M60A3 Technical Data Sheet |
Timeline
M60A3 tank Key Events
M60A3 development work begins
The M60A3 program followed dissatisfaction with the M60A2 and rapid advances in anti-armor threats and solid-state electronics.
Sources: M60A3 Modernization Profile
Tank Thermal Sight adopted
Forecast International identifies June 1978 as the adoption point for the VSG-2 Tank Thermal Sight on the M60A3, creating the M60A3TTS designation.
Sources: VSG-2 Tank Thermal Sight Forecast
M60A3 first accepted
AFV Database lists May 1979 as the M60A3 date of first acceptance and identifies Chrysler as manufacturer.
Sources: 105mm Gun Tank M60
USAREUR M60A3 deployment completed
The Army's FY1983 historical summary says June 1983 marked completion of M60A3 deployments to U.S. Army Europe units.
Sources: Department of the Army Historical Summary FY1983
Army TTS production and retrofit milestone
The Army's FY1984 historical summary says new M60A3 TTS production for the Army concluded, all Army M60A3 tanks were retrofitted to TTS, and depot conversions expanded the M60A3 TTS fleet.
Sources: Department of the Army Historical Summary FY1984
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
M60A3 Technical Data SheetPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports M60A3 background, fire-control equipment, armament, mobility, and specification context. | Accessed: 2026-06-22M60A3 Main Battle TankPublisher: Army Technology | Note: Supports specifications and background for the M60A3 main battle tank, including the 105 mm M68 gun and fire-control improvements. | Accessed: 2026-06-22M60A3 Patton Main Battle TankPublisher: U.S. Army ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide | Note: Supports official U.S. Army equipment-guide background for the M60A3 and its major technical categories. | Accessed: 2026-06-22M60A3 Modernization ProfilePublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports M60A3 variant distinctions, production milestones, fire-control improvements, Tank Thermal Sight context, and specification details. | Accessed: 2026-07-01105mm Gun Tank M60Publisher: AFV Database | Note: Supports M60A3 first-acceptance date, Chrysler manufacturer attribution, armament, laser rangefinder, sighting, and technical data. | Accessed: 2026-07-01VSG-2 Tank Thermal Sight ForecastPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports M60A3 TTS adoption timing, VSG-2 Tank Thermal Sight context, and TTS designation background. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Department of the Army Historical Summary FY1983Publisher: U.S. Army Center of Military History | Note: Supports FY1983 M60A3 production, conversion, TTS retrofit, and U.S. Army Europe deployment context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Department of the Army Historical Summary FY1984Publisher: U.S. Army Center of Military History | Note: Supports FY1984 M60A3 TTS production completion, fleet retrofit, and depot conversion context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01M60 Tank Wikipedia BaselinePublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Baseline lead source for M60 family terminology, E60 export-designation context, and source leads checked against higher-quality references. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Egypt Moves Armored Vehicles to the Gaza BorderPublisher: Israel Defense | Note: Supports 2011 Sinai Insurgency direct-use context: M60A3 tanks fielded by Egyptian government forces near Gaza for Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018. | Accessed: 2026-06-22Turkish Army Tanks Proving Vulnerable in SyriaPublisher: The Dupuy Institute | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct conflict-use context: Turkish forces employed M60A3 main battle tanks during Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria and encountered anti-tank threats. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Turkish Land Platforms Operation Euphrates ShieldPublisher: Defence Turkey | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct conflict-use context: Turkish M60A3 tanks were hit by ATGMs during Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria, prompting later survivability modernization. | Accessed: 2026-07-01M60TM Main Battle Tank Modernization ContextPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct conflict-use context: Turkish M60A3, M60T, and Leopard 2A4 tanks were hit by ATGMs during Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria. | Accessed: 2026-07-01CSIS Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis M60A3 DrillPublisher: ChinaPower Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports 2022 Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis direct conflict-use context: Republic of China M60A3 tanks conducted counter-amphibious landing live-fire exercises on Penghu during the August 2022 crisis. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Left Side View of M60A3 Tank during Reforger 82Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary public-domain M60A3 side-view image. | Accessed: 2026-06-22M60A3 Crossing Medium Girder Bridge during REFORGER 83Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain M60A3 mobility view. | Accessed: 2026-06-22Georgia National Guard M60A3 Roadblock TrainingPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain M60A3 training image. | Accessed: 2026-06-22M60A3 Main Battle Tank at HohenfelsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for an open-license M60A3 display image. | Accessed: 2026-06-22