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M60 AVLB

1967 COLD WAR GULF WAR MODERN

History

The M60 AVLB (Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge) was developed from the existing M60 Patton Main Battle Tank (MBT) as a dedicated bridge launch vehicle. The design retains the form and function of the M60 MBT, but lacks a powered turret system (and therefore no standard armament). In place of this assembly is a "scissor-like" bridge assembly on a special bracket for launching and retracting the bridge unit.

The bridge runs 60 feet long and 13 feet wide - allowing most vehicles to pass. The bridge assembly consists of two parts, one on top of the other at rest. When deployed, the unit unfolds from its common hinge.

The bridge components were then separated from the host vehicle, allowing other army members to traverse trenches and bodies of water, which in the past has proven problematic for the propulsion of ground troops. Once the bridge is used, the host vehicle can traverse its own bridge and retrieve the bridge assembly for reuse elsewhere on the battlefield.

The two men, consisting of a driver and vehicle operator, completed the bridge laying in just five minutes.

The original M60 AVLB debuted in 1967, and its improved form followed the 1987 M60A1 production model. Power is provided by a 750-horsepower Continental AVDS-1790-2C diesel engine used to drive a conventional sprocket arrangement, giving the vehicle a range (operation) of up to 290 miles while achieving road speeds of nearly 30 miles. per hour.

The hull is suspended on torsion bar suspension for the off-road capability required by modern U.S. Army and Navy forces.

The M60 AVLB proved its usefulness in both "Persian Gulf" wars (1991, 2003) and continues to serve today (2019) in limited numbers, mostly with foreign factions. In addition to serving in the U.S.

Army and Marine Corps, the M60 AVLB has also found a home for ground forces in Israel, Pakistan, Singapore and Spain.

For the US Army, the M60 AVLB was replaced by the M104 "Wolverine" (described in detail elsewhere on this page), which was based on the chassis and running gear of the M1 Abrams main battle tank (in its M1A2 SEP production version).