Sabra (tank)

M60 Sabra
M60 Sabra
	Sabra Mk I & II
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	United States (M60 chassis); Israel (kit designer); Turkey (Sabra package);
Service history
In service	2007–present
Used by	Turkish Land Forces
Wars	Kurdish–Turkish conflict; Iraqi Civil War; Syrian Civil War;
Production history
Designer	Israel Military Industries
Manufacturer	ROKETSAN (under license)
Unit cost	$3.13 million (Sabra Mk. 1); $3.36 million (Sabra Mk. 2);
No. built	630+
Specifications
Mass	55 tonnes (61 short tons; 54 long tons) (Mk I); 59 tonnes (65 short tons; 58 long tons) (Mk II);
Length	6.95 m (22.8 ft)
Width	3.63 m (11.9 ft)
Height	3.27 m (10.7 ft)
Crew	4
Armor	Steel laminate (Mk I); Explosive reactive armor (Mk II~);
Main; armament	120 mm MG253 gun
Secondary; armament	7.62 mm M240 coaxial weapon; 7.62 mm MG3A1 machine gun; 12.7 mm M85 machine gun; 60 mm internal mortar;
Engine	Continental AVDS-1790-5A diesel engine (Mk I); MTU MT 881 KA-501 diesel engine (Mk II & III); ; 908 hp (677 kW) (Mk I); 1,000 hp (750 kW) (Mk II & III);
Power/weight	16.95 hp/ton (Mk.II)
Payload capacity	40 rounds (main gun); 900 rounds (secondary gun);
Transmission	Allison CD850-6BX (Mk. I); Renk 304S transmission (Mk II & III);
Suspension	Independent, trailing arm
Fuel capacity	200 L (44 imp gal; 53 US gal) (internal fuel)
Operational; range	450 km (280 mi) (all variants)
Maximum speed	48 km/h (30 mph) (Mk I); 55 km/h (34 mph) (Mk II & III);

The Sabra (Hebrew: סברה, "prickly pear") is an extensively upgraded M60 tank developed by Israel Military Industries.^[3] The Mk II version of this upgrade package was used in one of the Turkish Army's modernization programs. The Sabra is known as the M60T in Turkish service.^[2]

Overview

The Sabra was initially developed as a further evolution of the Magach 7C. The ballistic profile of the appliqué armor was improved and it incorporated the MG253 120 mm gun developed by IMI.^[4] The upgrade package was first offered to Turkey as an option for its tank modernization program and later offered for general export. The Turkish government selected the Sabra Mk II (a further modified version of the Sabra) for its upgrade program, which was intended as a stopgap measure. A contract estimated to be worth $688 million USD was signed on March 29, 2002. The first Sabra Mk II was delivered for Turkish trials in 2005 and passed qualifications in May, 2006. 170 were upgraded between 2007 and April, 2009. The upgrades were undertaken by the Turkish Army's 2nd Main Maintenance Center Command, with upgrade kits supplied by IMI.

Variants

Sabra Mk I

The Mk I was essentially an upgraded Magach 7C. It incorporated a new 120 mm gun developed by IMI, improved applique armor, and the Knight fire control system from Elbit Systems. The running gear would also be upgraded from the Magach to improve cross-country mobility. The hybrid electric and hydraulic turret traverse system from the Magach 7C is replaced with an all-electric system.^[4]

Sabra Mk II / M60T

Unlike the Mk I which used a low-profile commander's cupola, the Mk II retained the larger M60 Patton style M19 cupola with the M85 12.7 mm machine gun found on the M60s in Turkish service. This version would also include a Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV). The Mk II also uses a more powerful MTU Friedrichshafen engine built under license in Turkey (MTU Turk A.S.), and a Renk transmission with four forward and two reverse gears. The Mk II is also equipped with explosive reactive armor.^[1] The tanks were upgraded by the Turkish military's 2nd Main Maintenance Center with Israeli cooperation. All the systems except the armor package were built under license with technology transfer in Turkey. The Sabra can carry 500 litres of diesel fuel.

Sabra Mk III

The Sabra Mk III incorporates armor technology, cannon, the RWR/IR warning system, and tracks from the Merkava Mk IV.^[5]

Users

Turkey – 450 as M60 Sabra, Currently 169 in service as of 2022

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Sabra Main Battle Tank, Israel". Army-Technology.com. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "M60T Tank". Undersecretariat for Defence Industries. Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
^ "The Old Patton M60 Tank Keeps Getting Souped up (And Deadlier Than Ever)". 8 September 2019.
^ ^a ^b Gelbart, Marsh (2004). Modern Israeli Tanks and Infantry Carriers 1985-2004. Osprey Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 1-84176-579-1.
^ Sabra Main Battle Tank | Military-Today.com

External links

[armytech-1] "Sabra Main Battle Tank, Israel". Army-Technology.com. Retrieved 2009-12-01.

[ssm-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "M60T Tank". Undersecretariat for Defence Industries. Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2009-12-01.

[3] "The Old Patton M60 Tank Keeps Getting Souped up (And Deadlier Than Ever)". 8 September 2019.

[gelbart-4] Gelbart, Marsh (2004). Modern Israeli Tanks and Infantry Carriers 1985-2004. Osprey Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 1-84176-579-1.

[sabra-5] Sabra Main Battle Tank | Military-Today.com

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v t e Tanks of the post–Cold War era
Main battle	Al-Khalid tank Al-Zarrar Ariete Arjun Challenger 2 Durjoy K2 Black Panther Karrar Leclerc Leopard 2 Leopard 2E Leopard 2PL M1 Abrams Merkava IV Pokpung-ho PT-91 Twardy Ramses II Sabra Stridsvagn 122 T-72M4CZ T-84 T-90 Type 10 Type 72Z Type 96 Type 99 VT-4 Zulfiqar
Light / medium	Sabrah Sabre CVRT 2S25 Sprut-SD Tosan Type 15 / VT-5 Type 63A ZTD-05 / ZLT-05
Prototypes, experimentals	AbramsX Altay Black Eagle^X Challenger 3 CV90105 / CV90120 Kaplan MT / Harimau K21-105 M8 armored gun system^X M10 Booker M2020 M60-2000^X M-84AS M-84AS1 M-84D M-95 Degman^X Main Ground Combat System^X Marder medium tank Panther KF51 Patagón^X PL-01^X Tiam T-14 Armata T-55AGM T-95^X Tank EX^X Zorawar LT
Cancelled or derelict project^X Post–Cold War tanks List of modern armoured fighting vehicles Background: History of the tank, Tank classification

Overview

Variants

Users

See also

References

External links