M60 Patton AVLBs Heading to Ukraine and Ready for the Challenge

By Maya Carlin, Warrior Contributor, Weapons

M60: America’s Cold War Tank Warrior – Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges (AVLB) derived from the Cold War-era M60 Patton tank will be part of a $400 million military assistance package for Ukraine, U.S. officials announced earlier in the month.

This vehicle is more formidable than the classic American tank designed to battle Soviet T-55 and T-62 tanks, since it can deploy a folding bridge for heavy armor, cross waterways and travel through trench lines. The AVLBs will join 227mm artillery rockets, 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, automatic cannon ammunition and other items in the Ukraine-bound shipment. 

Both the U.S. Marine Corps and Army have been undergoing the replacement of M60 AVLBs with the more advanced M1 Abrams tank-based designs in recent years. While the Patton may be aging, it has served the militaries of 22 nations honorably since its introduction more than six decades ago.

A brief history of the M60 Patton

At the onset of the Korean War, U.S. officials quickly realized that its existing fleet of main battle tanks (MBT) was severely lagging behind the armored vehicles driven by the Soviet Union. Although the M47 Patton entered production in 1951, it never served in the Korean War due to production issues. 

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The M48 Patton was ultimately introduced to service one year later, however, the U.S. Army was unimpressed with the tank’s initial design. At this point, the T95 program was conceptualized to produce a tank meant to supersede the problematic M48. Over time, the M60 series of tanks evolved and officially entered service in 1960. Equipped with a newer turret, more durable armor and a new ammunition stowage system, the M60 was considered a quality main battle tank.