M60A2 Starship

A production M60A2.

The Shillelagh missile system proved itself successful with the Sheridan, but the development of a main-battle tank variant was bogged down by having too many design proposals. In response, studies were made in August 1961 to retrofit existing M60 tanks with the weapon. Of the several turrets drafted, one of the earliest was the driver-in-turret integrated fighting compartment. Another was a more compact turret design. Both of these were developed for the MBT(MR), although that tank itself was never constructed. All variants were referred to as the XM66. There were two competing designs for the compact turret, the Type A and Type B (or M60E1 and M60E2). Initially two Type A turrets were built, but they were later modified to the Type B configuration.

Turret Test Rig #5 installed on an M60 tank chassis.

On 10 January 1964, the army reviewed all four variants and selected the Type B variant for further development. This vehicle later received the designation M60A1E1. This was a compact turret based off the original MBT(MR) design that greatly reduced the profile of the tank. The gunner and loader were located to the right and left of the gun, respectively, and the commander was in a turret basket up and behind the main gun. The guns soon changed however to the XM81E13.

M60A1E1

The M60A1E1 refereed to vehicles based on the M60 chassis. As the M60A1 was being developed, it was decided to upgrade these vehicles to the new M60A1 standard. Vehicles using the M60A1 chassis received the M60A1E2 designation, and these were later standardized as the M60A2. As standardized, the M60A2 was fitted with the 152 mm M162 weapon. The M60A2 could store 33 conventional shells and 13 missiles, but all missiles could be swapped out for convention shells.

Although initially deployed in 1974, the M60A2 was never a popular tank. The unconventional turret required complex maintenance and operation. A combination of this and its "sci-fi" design earned it the nickname "Starship." But with the shift in missile armament gradually losing interest, the M60A2 was soon retired from service in 1981.

The M60A2 Starship is just a larger and slower XM551. It has a great top turret option, but the bulbous cupola hinders its hull-down capabilities. The tank itself should be rather mediocre if played like a normal medium tank.



Guns: 152 mm Gun-Launcher XM81E6 (conventional); 152 mm Gun-Launcher XM81E13 (conventional); 152 mm Gun-Launcher M162 (conventional)

Engines: Continental AVDS-1790-2 (643 hp); Continental AVDS-1790-2A (750 hp)

Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): Turret Test Rig #5 (??/??/??); M60A2 (292/121/64)

Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): M60A1E1 (??); M60A2 (51.89)

Hull Armor (mm): 93/74/41 (M60A1E1); 143/74/47 (M60A2)

Top Speed: 48 km/h

Crew: 4 (Driver; Gunner; Loader; Commander/Radio)



Parent: T90 MMC
Children: K Tank
See Also: MBT(MR), M60A1E3, M60E3, T95E8 TR, XM66 Type C

Sources:

Hunnicutt, R. P. Abrams, 2015.  

Hunnicutt, R. P. Patton, 2015.