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24-525: It was first referred to the M60-2000 Program and design work began in late 1999 by General Dynamics Land Systems as a private venture for the export market and was never evaluated for US military service. Later the M60 designation was dropped because of the extensive changes and to highlight this as a new vehicle to potential customers thus changing the name to the 120S Project . The 120 represented

48-619: A 240X4 Forward Looking Infrared Red (FLIR) day/FLIR stabilized sight with an eye-safe laser range-finder, a Thermal Imaging System (TIS), an onboard digital fire control computer and data bus providing a similar capability as the M1 Abrams Mark 1 Advanced Fire Control System. Production vehicles would also have a BITE (Built In Test Equipment) package. The 120S was initially aimed at the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) M60 upgrade requirement but this competition

72-528: A Fleet Management Services office in Southbank, Melbourne. In 2003 GDLS acquired Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug GmbH (SSF), the land defense vehicles unit of Steyr-Daimler-Puch , and General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C), a subsidiary of General Dynamics based in London, Ontario , purchased General Motors Diesel , GM Defense unit from General Motors . At the time, it produced vehicles such as

96-661: A domestic industry in a global market. The division operates the Lima Army Tank Plant and General Dynamics Anniston Operations in Anniston, Alabama , along with smaller operations in Tallahassee, Florida , and Scranton, Pennsylvania . Headquarters are located in Sterling Heights, Michigan . As of 2016, General Dynamics Land Systems employed 6,800 people. M250 grenade launcher The M250

120-610: Is a six-barrel 66-millimeter grenade launchers (the British No. 19 Mk 2 design) used on US Army M1 Abrams tank, USMC M1A1s used an eight-barreled version, known as the M257. The M250 is designed to fire M82 smoke grenades. The launchers are controlled from the commander's seat. Pressing a button launches 3 grenades from both sides of the M1, and pressing both buttons will launch all 6 grenades from both sides, equating to 12 in total. It

144-443: Is fitted with two six-barreled, electronically fired M250 smoke grenade launchers , one on each side of the main gun. The smoke grenades contain a phosphor compound that masks thermal signature of the vehicle to the enemy. A Vehicle Engine Exhaust Smoke System (VEESS) can also be laid from the engine operated system to visually obscure the area around the vehicle. The electronics package used components designed by Hughes consisting of

168-444: Is stored in the turret bustle with blow-out panels for better survivability. Production versions planned to have additional round storage in safe boxes on the hull floor. Secondary armament consists of two M240C 7.62 mm machine guns . One of them is mounted coaxially on the right of the main gun, another is mounted over the loader's hatch. There is also a roof-mounted M2HB 12.7 mm machine gun , mounted over commander's hatch. The turret

192-697: The LAV-25 and Stryker . The London operation continued in the GM Diesel plant location. SSF merged into the General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) unit. In 2015, GDLS Canada secured a fourteen-year, $ 15-billion deal to supply light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia . Representatives from Unifor , the plant union, expressed concern that the London facility would suffer financially due to negative publicity surrounding

216-836: The M60 and M1 tanks for the United States Army. In 1985, 3 years after the sale from Chrysler, General Dynamics production plants in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania went on strike. Members of these plants were part of the United Automobile Workers union. The strike was primarily around wage increases. On April 11, 2024, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced its sanction on the company due to its arms sales to Taiwan . General Dynamics Land Systems–Australia ( GDLS-Australia or GDLS-A )

240-614: The acquisition of Chrysler Defense . GDLS is known for developing and manufacturing vehicles such as the M1 Abrams tank, Stryker , and LAV 6 . In February 1982 Chrysler announced the sale of Chrysler Defense, its profitable defense subsidiary, to General Dynamics for US$ 348.5 million. The sale was completed in March 1982 for the revised figure of US$ 336.1 million and renamed General Dynamics Land Systems. Under this newly formed division, General Dynamics would take over production of

264-556: The deal due to human rights concerns within Saudi Arabia . Both Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe and New Democrat Thomas Mulcair challenged Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the secrecy surrounding military sales to Saudi Arabia. David Perry, senior analyst with the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute , argued that secrecy in trade details is part of a pragmatic foreign trade policy necessary for

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288-668: The establishment of a significant Australian supplier base to support manufacturing for GDLS' global supply chain for LAV-25 turrets. GDLS-A’s primary customer is the Defence Materiel Organisation , Commonwealth of Australia, located in Melbourne , Victoria. Its National Manufacturing and Support Centre is located north of Adelaide in Pooraka . GDLS-A also has Field Service Groups in Darwin and Brisbane , and

312-537: The fact that the 120 mm ammunition is separated in the turret bustle. For the 120S Project the M1A1 turret and M60A1 series chassis were leased from the US Army . The turret is mated to the existing M60 chassis using an adapter ring that allows the use of the M1A1 wire race ring with no turret modifications. It consisted of a functional M1A1 turret, M1 turret gear box, hydraulic pump and an M1A1 slip ring adapter. Many of

336-622: The gun, and S according to company marketing stood for Speed and Survivability. Two of the major upgrades this would offer to the M60 series of the vehicle. It is essentially a hybrid vehicle consisting of an M1A1 version of the Abrams tank turret mated to a M60A1 hull . The M60-2000 was test-marketed during 2000 and a number of countries in NATO and the Middle East were briefed on the vehicle. Following customer feedback, detailed engineering work

360-494: The hull and turret returned to the US Army in 2003. Background: History of the tank , Tank classification General Dynamics Land Systems General Dynamics Land Systems ( GDLS ) is a manufacturer of military vehicles, including tanks and light armored fighting vehicles . The company is based in Sterling Heights, Michigan , and is a subsidiary of General Dynamics . It was originally established in 1982 following

384-425: The hull frontal arc to the third road wheel, slat/cage armor skirting for the turret, steel or composite armored side skirts, spall liners and reactive armor packages. The M60A1 chassis was modified with the enhanced torsion bar system of the M1 series tank to take account of the additional weight of the M1A1 turret as well as the additional armor that would have been fitted to production vehicles. An optional offering

408-474: The more powerful General Dynamics Land Systems AVDS-1790-9 diesel developing 1,200 hp (890 kW) and Allison X-1100-5 series automatic transmission extending operational range to over 300 miles (480 km) but other power pack combinations were also offered as well as road wheels and drive sprocket being replaced by M1A1 components and the Abrams T158 lightweight track if desired. The upper part of

432-505: The subsystems were already well proven and in volume production. The turret armor is of a composite material and lacks the protective depleted uranium (DU) meshing found in the M1A1HA (Heavy Armor) variant of the Abrams tank. The hull armor is conventional hardened steel. It was planned that armor packages for the production vehicles would be customized for each customer. Available options included additional STANAG Level 6 armor plating for

456-412: The suspension of the prototype is fitted with mock ballistic side skirts and new sponsions. It has a crew of 4, the commander, loader and gunner are positioned in the turret and the driver in the front of the hull. The main weapon is a fully stabilized M256 120 mm smoothbore gun with a thermal sleeve as used on the M1A1 version of the Abrams tank and carries 36 rounds in the turret bustle. The ammunition

480-717: Was carried out and in December GDLS decided to build a functional prototype. In August 2001 the company rolled out the fully functional prototype of the 120S tank at their Detroit, Michigan, facility. The prototype was shown at the IDEF Exhibition held in Turkey in October 2001. During development an upgrade to the M60A3 turret was considered, but the M1A1 turret was used because of its higher level of armor protection and

504-730: Was established in 2000 as a subsidiary to support the production of ASLAV . GDLS-A now provides engineering, manufacturing, systems integration, upgrade and fleet management services for GDLS Armoured Fighting Vehicles in the Asia Pacific region. In Australia this includes the ADF's ASLAV Light Armoured Vehicles and M1A1 Main Battle Tanks, supported under a Through Life Support Contract awarded in June 2011. GDLS-A reports operationally to General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada (GDLS-C). GDLS-A

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528-657: Was established in October 2000 as General Motors Defence Australia. General Motors Defense operations worldwide were sold to General Dynamics Land Systems in March 2003. GDLS-A was established as a result of GDLS-C being awarded the Phase III contract to provide 144 Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV) to the Commonwealth of Australia. The contract provided for the manufacture of the LAV-25 turret system in Adelaide and

552-522: Was subsequently won by Israel Military Industries with their Sabra II upgrade. The Egyptian Army was considering this offer until it was finally rejected in favor of a licensed contract to build M1s in Egypt. Only one prototype was made. As of early 2009 there were no sales of the 120S tank and was no longer mentioned in General Dynamics marketing literature. The prototype was disassembled and

576-416: Was to replace the torsion bar suspension with hydropneumatic units for improved cross-country ride. The prototype of the 120S retains the standard M60 series power pack consisting of a Continental V-12 750 hp (560 kW) air-cooled , AVDS-1790-2 diesel engine with a CD-850-6 cross drive transmission , with a range of 275 miles (443 kilometres). It was envisioned that production vehicles would have

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