Arab-Israeli Armor 1973

M-48/60

by TP Schweider

As the Israelis have re-engined and upgunned the M-48, its upgraded performance is equal to that of the M-60 so that for the purpose of comparison both tanks may be considered as one type.

This M-48 Patton in the Sinai has retained the commander's cupola. The Jews substituted a 7.62mm MG for it on many vehicles.

The L7A1 L/51 105mm gun mounted in the M-48/60 as well as the Centurion Mk.5, using APDS, HVAPDS, and HEAT rounds, can penetrate the T-54/55/62's frontal armor and destroy the tank at a range of 1,800 meters. It has a semi-automatic breech which opens automatically after each shot fired, ejects the spent shell casing and automatically closes after a new round is loaded, making it possible to achieve and maintain a rapid rate of sustained fire. Complementing the gun, an excellent coincident rangefinder and 10X magnification sighting scope permit target acquisition at ranges up to 4,400 meters. A ballistic computer linked to the rangefinder enhances first shot hit and kill probability.

Maintenance is easy and reliability has been good. Armor protection is considered adequate, although the M-48 was more vulnerable to HEAT shells and missiles than the M-60. Maneuverability in the hills and mountains of the Golan region was considered superior to that of the Centurion.

Excellent crew habitability enables the M-48/60 to have a much longer combat duration than the T-54/55/62.

However, the Israelis consider the silhouette of the M-48/60 too tall, making it too large a target. Maneuverability in the Sinai region was not as good as that of the Centurion and the Israelis felt that the combat range could be improved.

Considerable controversy has developed over the flammability of the hydraulic fluid used in the turret of the M-60. Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri reported after a tour of the Middle East that several Israeli M-60's were lost due to the hydraulic fluid readily igniting. The Army claims that stories concerning flash fires in the tanks were exaggerated and knows of no instance where a tank was lost because of a hydraulic fluid fire. Verification of either statement is impossible, but the Army has announced that it is searching for a hydraulic fluid with a higher flash point than that used by the Israelis in the War.

U.S. M-60A1. Israel reccived its first M-60's in 1970. This tank and the M-48 were used almost exclusively on the Sinai front, while Centurions and Shermans made up the bulk of those used on the Golan front.

There is a need to protect the ammunition so that a penetrating hit will not explode it.

Although the sights are good for ranges up to 4,400 meters, the accuracy of the proiectiles. especially SABOT, falls off considerably after 2,000 meters.

The M-48/60 cannot accurately shoot as far as it can sight, but as the maximum effective range of its ammunition is 1,000 meters greater than the Soviet range, the problem is not that serious at the present time.

Israeli evaluation of the M-48/60 is that destructiveness is excellent, survivability is fair, and the availability factor is good.

M-48/60 Schematic (65K)

More Arab-Israeli Armor 1973

Back to Conflict Special Study 1 Table of Contents
Back to Conflict List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1975 by Dana Lombardy
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com