Italian defense contractor Leonardo is to present its modular M60 tank upgrade solution at the first Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference.
“The M60A3 solution significantly enhances the survivability, reliability, mobility and lethality of the platform,” the company said in a press release, adding that the programme “affordably brings the capabilities of the M60 in line with third generation main battle tanks”
The upgrade will be presented at Bahrain’s first BIDEC tri-services event which runs from October 16 to 18 at Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Leonardo fully owns and controls the core technologies and the company says the modular M60A3 upgrade package integrates a new 120mm smooth-bore main gun with a state-of-the-art fire control system, modern protection systems up to Level 6 and an enhanced 908HP power system, all while retaining existing maintenance assets and requiring minimal additional training.
The solution replaces the legacy commander cupola with a multi-purpose stabilised remote-controlled weapon station including a 12.7mm gun.
The M60 Patton tank first entered service in 1960, and has had a number of modifications since including the M60A3 introduced in 1978. It is widely fielded in the Middle East and North Africa, including by Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which has around 1,700.
The upgrade looks set to compete with the M60A3 Service Life Extension Programme introduced by Raytheon in 2016.