Iran Loves the Old M60 Patton Main Battle Tank (Made in the USA)

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Key Points: Iran is upgrading its Cold War-era M60 Patton tanks to bolster its military amid potential threats from Israel or a Sunni coalition.

–Originally gifted by the U.S. to the Shah before 1979, Iran’s M60s have undergone turret modifications, enhanced armor, and potentially upgraded armaments to match Israel’s M60T Sabra.

-The M60, known for its durability and ease of maintenance, was a NATO staple during the Cold War and saw extensive combat in the Yom Kippur War.

-While outdated compared to modern MBTs, the M60 remains a cost-effective and reliable platform, ensuring its continued relevance in Iran’s military strategy.

Iran’s Tank Makeover: M60 Patton Upgrades Explained

Sometimes a country’s military is desperate to modernize its ground forces, even if it means using an old platform from the 1960s.

Such is the case with Iran and its efforts to upgrade the M60 Patton tank, which is a Cold War relic that has refused to go away.

Iran has new features for its fleet of M60s as it prepares for a potential war with Israel or the remote possibility of a Sunni coalition of Gulf States that could attack Iran in a broader Middle East conflict.

What Are the Iranians Up to With the M60?

This spring, the Iranian military released a video of its latest iteration of the M60 to compete with the Israeli M60T. It is amazing to consider that the Iranian M60 goes back to the Americans gifting 460 of the battlewagons to the Shah before the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

There are still at least 100 usable M60s in the Iranian arsenal, and the Islamic Republic is preparing for a fight in case of an Israeli conflict with Iran that will probably only consist of missile and drone strike exchanges between the two countries.

Indeed, an Iranian ground assault against Israel is nearly impossible if you take a look at a map and the geographical divide between the two countries.

Nevertheless, the Iranians want updated tanks no matter how old they are. The initial upgrade one notices is the turret modifications that feature what looks to be a new gun. The first iteration of the M60 featured a 105mm gun, and the M60A2 had a more powerful 155mm gun, but it is not clear from the video which gun the Iranians chose for their M60s. The Iranian defense industry has also improved the armor of the Pattons.

Competing with the Israelis on M60 Tank

The other aspect of the Iranian M60 is its similarity to the Israeli M60T Sabra. Sabra means “prickly pear” in Hebrew – a curious nickname for a tank, but my experience with the Israelis is that they don’t mind a bit dark humor regarding national security. The Turkish army also features the M60T.

The original concept behind the M60 Patton was to keep up with the Soviets in Europe. The Americans needed an improvement over the M48, which the U.S. Army used to defend against the potential of the Soviet horde that could have streamed through the Fulda Gap to endanger NATO at any time.

What Is Great About the M60

The M60 had a “coincidental range finder and an integrated fire control system, making its firepower quicker and more accurate,” according to the First Division Museum.

The original M60s weighed 51 tons with a crew of four. Supporting fire was provided by two machine guns – a 7.62mm model and a .50 caliber. The M60 could fire high-explosive anti-tank and armor-piercing rounds.

M60 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The M60’s engine was a 12-cylinder diesel with 750 horsepower, which enabled a speed of 30 mph and a range of 300 miles. The United States produced over 2,000 M60s, and some found their way to American allies such as Iran (at the time) and Israel, plus Egypt and Saudi Arabia later.

The M60 was used in the Yom Kippur War, seeing extensive combat and proving its mettle against Soviet tanks loaned to Arab countries in that conflict. Some U.S. Marine Corps units still had M60s during Operation Desert Storm.

Another redeeming quality of the M60 is its relative ease of maintenance compared to, say, the M1A1 Abrams or the Israeli Merkava main battle tank (MBT). New soldiers are likely to learn the ins and outs of an M60 quicker than the training required for the more modern MBTs.

Thus, the M60 still forms the backbone of some armies around the world, a testament to the original design and skill of designers and engineers. It is hard to believe that it has been in use for 60 years. The Iranians and other Middle Eastern countries are happy to use it even though it is a museum piece in the United States. General George Patton would be proud that his namesake is still relevant in armored units today.

M60 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Look for the M60 to be upgraded even more in the future.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.