M60A3

The M60A3 is a tier 5 Main Battle Tank originating from the United States, and is sold by Sophie Wölfli. It can be unlocked from the M60A1, and leads to the M1 Abrams.

Features

 * Heavy armor : this vehicle's armor bounces more shots and takes more hits
 * HESH: can even penetrate armor with large hit angles

Player Recommendations
With a well-designed turret and ample gun depression, the M60A3 serves as a viable ridge poker and hull down defender that can also brawl in a pinch. While its hull armor is mediocre at best and its mobility is lacking, it compensates for this with a relatively high rate of fire and good gun handling, along with ERA protection.

Pros

 * Excellent gun depression
 * Well sloped and armored turret
 * ERA protection against HEAT

Cons

 * Poor hull armor
 * Poor mobility

Upgrade Suggestions
The first major upgrade that should be applied to the M60A3 is the RISE ERA package, which massively increases protection against HEAT ammunition, increasing survivability. Another early upgrade should be the improved engine, to improve otherwise sluggish mobility. Upgrades to firepower should be considered next, to help remove enemies from the battlefield even faster.

Retrofit Suggestions

 * Advanced Muzzle Reference System
 * Augmented Optics
 * Improved Gun Breech
 * Improved Pioneer Tool Kit

Commander and Crew Skill Suggestions

 * Commander: Juan Carlos, to improve the aim speed and crew stats
 * Driver: Spin to Win, Off-Road Driving
 * Gunner: Sharpshooter, Do the Twist
 * Loader: Rapid Fire, Explosive Shells/Preparation

History
Class: Main Battle Tank Developed: 1971-1979 Service: 1979-2005 (USA, ongoing elsewhere) Vehicles Built: 5400 Operators: USA, Israel, Austria Portugal, Spain, Greece, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Turkey and several others The Patton series of universal tanks is as important to the United States military as the T-54/55 series was to the Soviets and formed the backbone of the American armored forces from the late 1940s practically until the 1990s. Having evolved from the M26 Pershing Medium Tank, the Patton family was named after George S. Patton, one of the most famous U.S. generals to have ever lived. Right until their final versions, the Patton series tanks were protected only by their steel armor and used 90mm and 105mm rifled guns. The M60A3 was the last major production variant of the M60 series and also a virtue of necessity of sorts since the U.S. Army was unable to develop and adopt a replacement for the Patton series since the 1960s. The M60A1 therefore kept being upgraded, including a new stabilizer (M60A1 (AOS), 1971), improved, more reliable and less maintenance-heavy diesel engine (M60A1 RISE, 1975) and the integration of a new Fire Control System with a laser rangefinder and several smaller upgrades. With these upgrades, the M60A1 model was redesignated to M60A3 and was produced between 1979 and 1987 with 5400 vehicles built (1700 from scratch, the rest converted from older M60 models). The M60A3 MBT did well in Iraq and M60A1 and M60A3 105mm APFSDS rounds managed to knock out a large number of enemy tanks, including some T-72s. It was an M60A3 that first entered Kuwait City, not an Abrams. Desert Storm, however, was the swan song of the Pattons. The end of the Cold War meant that a large fleet of tanks ready to defeat the Soviets in Europe was no longer needed. Many were sold or even given away to other countries and what was left was replaced by the Abrams. The M60A3 was also widely exported, especially after 1991, with thousands still being in use by various nations.

Variants

 * M60A3 ICE