M-60A1 Searchlight

av8rmongo · Post by **av8rmongo** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:09 pm

Can anyone tell me if the searchlight on GHQ's M-60A1 is molded with the turret or if it is a separate piece that is glued in place?

Paul

voltigeur · Post by **voltigeur** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:09 am

I havent seen the new ones but I do have one of the old ones and it was moulded on the turret.

jb · Post by jb » Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:47 am

The searchlight on the current M60A1 is molded to the mount above the gun mantle. The old GHQ M60A1 didn't have a searchlight. Maybe Volt was mistaking the M60A3.

voltigeur · Post by **voltigeur** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:57 am

Nope it is the old, old, old M60 A1 purchased in 1981. It actually is the oldest tank my my collection.

av8rmongo · Post by **av8rmongo** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:04 am

jb and voltigeur many thanks.

Paul

jb · Post by jb » Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:12 am

voltigeur wrote:Nope it is the old, old, old M60 A1 purchased in 1981. It actually is the oldest tank my my collection.

You're right...and well, the very first ones(circa 1977 or old,old,old,and older) didn't have the searchlights. I have one here from around 1981 that came in a HQ pack,i.e. M60A1,M551(Sheridan) ,M113 ,and some other stuff that I can't recall.
Anyways the searchlight on the (1981 model) M60A1 is really tiny.

voltigeur · Post by **voltigeur** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:39 am

Yep that be the one! I think I got this particular one out of the command pack as well. Sold my first T62 battalion and M60 company to a fellow Marine. He was spreading the M60's out for 3 BLT's so didn't need the command tank. This one stayed in my collection.

When I replaced my M60 company in 89 I used the M60A3's but this tank stayed as my command tank. I was only making $9.00 an hour and had a kid at home so spending the wopping $6.95 when I only needed one tank was something I never did. I have a pic of it. I'll have to take Rick up on his offer to host it and have him help me post it. (I don't think he has a historical section of his site.)

Anyway it is the oldest Tank in my collection. I traded 2 companies of German tanks and a Company of Shermans for those 2 units and I think some cash. (Long since given to the ex.)

Anyway the history of my units. M60's ruled with an 80% win rate till the T72 Battalion was built. I was using Search and Destroy rules and discovered the 105 wouldn't punch 300mm of armor. Oddly enough the answer was to switch to the Leopard 2's instead of the M1. Senarios called for intevention of 5th Panzer to counter the T72's. The only place the Americans could beat the T72 was on the hobby shop's 6X14 table. My table at home was too small to work the flanks.

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:41 pm

Well I still have some of the old GHQ M60A1s without searchlights.

And I have some of the old M60A3s with searchlights, but also with low-profile (no HMG) cupolas. I've got a company, all dudded up in MERDC, but they don't have HMGs up top -- and I believe ALL US M60s, of any and every sub-make, had HMG cupolas.

Does anyone know the story on those? What were they supposed to represent? An Israeli mod?

Gort · Post by **Gort** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:18 pm

I think you're right about it being an Israeli mod. IIRC it's called an Urdan cupola. But the only US service vehicles I've ever seen pictures of that have it fitted were ANG M48A5s.

regards

Steve

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:29 pm

Gort wrote:I think you're right about it being an Israeli mod. IIRC it's called an Urdan cupola. But the only US service vehicles I've ever seen pictures of that have it fitted were ANG M48A5s.

Regarding the M48A5s, pics I've seen still have an MG even on top of the Urdan cupola. Just not the integrated MG cupola of the M48 or M60.

Still, I suppose some day I should convert/repaint my M60A3s to Isreali service. Except I don't know if/when the IDF operated M60A3's in any numbers.

Oh well.

ferret701 · Post by **ferret701** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:53 pm

Hi guys -- I'm trying to put together a section on my website on older GHQ models -- If anyone wants to drop me a photo in an email of some of these, I'll host them on my site (and use them in the article).

Thanks,

Pat Callahan
www.microarmormayhem.com
email: ferret701 at yahoo.com

1ComOpsCtr · Post by **1ComOpsCtr** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:49 pm

Egypt 340 M-60A3
Greece S: FRG 312 M-60A3
Bahrain 43 M-60A3
Bosnia-H. 45 M-60A3 (Generation III thermal sights)
Brazil 91 M-60A3
Italy 10 M-60A1
Jordan 50 M-60A3
Morocco 120 M-60A3
Oman 27 M-60A3
Portugal 80 M-60A3
Saudi Arabia 150 M-60A3
Spain 260 M-60A3
Taiwan 160 M-60A3

Provided roughly 1990 through 1995

jb · Post by jb » Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:50 am

ferret701 wrote:Hi guys -- I'm trying to put together a section on my website on older GHQ models -- If anyone wants to drop me a photo in an email of some of these, I'll host them on my site (and use them in the article).

Thanks,

Pat Callahan
www.microarmormayhem.com
email: ferret701 at yahoo.com

circa 1977 GHQ M60A1. As you see they still had great detail then. This was some of their very first "modern" line. Note absence of searchlight,very rare in reality at the time

.

This one is from the early 1980's. It came in a "Command" pack,with several other vehicles. Note the small searchlight. I believe it to be a "pink" light type (Better upgradede IR light).

Not sure though.

The last one is GHQ's very latest,after 30 years we finally get the searchlight

JB

ferret701 · Post by **ferret701** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:38 pm

Thanks, JD! Great photos.

Pat

olddat · Post by **olddat** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:32 pm

As a retired 11E and later 19K having operated tanks from M48A3 to M1A1I can tell you that the Urdan cupola was fitted on NG M48s but never on M60s(It was looked into tho). The searchlights used were points of many conversations as each upgrade was made to the US tank fleet. The large searchlight was the AN/VVS-1 series and was mounted on M48s, M60s, most M60A1s, and M60A2s. The M60A3 and some late M60A1s got the AN/VVS-2 series until the tank or fire control was upgraded to M60A3(TTS) (The first 300 M60A3s had passive sights).

Some tanks had priority for searchlights but they weren't command tanks. Most platoons designated jobs like searchlight or some other duty to a particular vehicle within the platoon.

The pictures are outstanding and they brought back memories of all the things we had to do to our vehicles to get ready for operations. The old searchlights were very heavy and very touchy. When we got the new lights we thought they would be easier to maintain, but they weren't.

My2cents.

Charles