M60

The M60 is a designation used for several American military weapons and vehicles. The two most prominent are the M60 machine gun, a 7.62x51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun introduced in 1957, and the M60 Patton main battle tank, produced from the 1950s onward. The name has also been used for other platforms, including the M60 AVLB, an armored vehicle-launched bridge built on the M60 chassis.

The M60 machine gun is a gas-operated, belt-fed, air-cooled machine gun designed for infantry and vehicle mounting. It fires 7.62×51mm NATO rounds and has been used in a variety of roles on ground and air platforms. It became a standard U.S. service weapon during the Vietnam era and remained in use in many forces for decades. Through the years, variants such as the M60E3 and M60E4 offered improvements in weight, reliability, and ease of maintenance. It has largely been superseded in front-line service by the M240 machine gun but remains in limited use and in reserve or specialized roles in some countries.

The M60 Patton is a family of main battle tanks introduced in the late 1950s. The M60 was developed by Chrysler Defense and entered service around 1960. Early models were armed with a 105 mm M68 rifled gun and used steel armor; later variants, such as the M60A3, added more advanced fire-control systems and upgraded sighting. Power came from a diesel engine, delivering about 700–750 horsepower, enabling roughly 30 mph road speed. The M60 served extensively in Vietnam and later in other regions before being progressively replaced by the M1 Abrams in U.S. service. It remained in use with numerous export customers and specialty fleets.