M60A1 "D.C.Ariete"

M60A1 "D.C.Ariete"

M60A1 "D.C.Ariete"

Italy

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:7 480

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This page is about the Italian premium tank M60A1 "D.C.Ariete". For other uses, see M60 (Disambiguation).

Description

The M60A1 132ª Divisione corazzata "Ariete" is a premium rank V Italian medium tank with a battle rating of 8.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic" as a purchasable pack and was removed from sale in Update 1.87 "Locked On". It was later re-released as a premium purchasable for Golden Eagles after the 8th Anniversary sale.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret, roof)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof - engine compartment, hull rear - engine grille)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	108 mm (65°) Front Glacis 137 mm (55°) Lower Glacis - Top 117 mm (55°) Lower Glacis - Bottom	50 mm Front 45 mm Top 50.8 mm (cylindrical) Turret base 36-70 mm (18-34°) Middle 36 mm (60°) Bottom 19 mm (66-82°) Belly - Front half 13 mm (66-82°) Belly - Rear half 36 mm Rear	25 mm (1°) Engine Grille 40 mm (26°) Lower plate 28 mm (59°) Lower glacis 36 mm Hull sides	108 mm (25°) Front Glacis 36 mm (5°) Front 20 mm Engine compartment 76 mm Radiator cover
Turret	215.9 mm (spherical) Turret front - Loader side 230.9 mm (spherical) Turret front - Gunner side 127 mm (11-58°) Gun mantlet 114 mm (cylindrical) Turret ring	52.3-142.2 mm (30-41°) Front half - Loader side 60.5-152.9 mm (18-33°) Front half - Gunner side 49.8 mm (19-29°) Rear half - Loader side 53.8 mm (18°) Rear half - Gunner side	57 mm (11°)	48 mm (16°) Front 25.4 mm Centre & Rear
Cupola	35 mm (0-30°)	26 mm (34-44°)		26-35 mm (conical) Outer ring 30 mm Centre

Notes:

• Suspension wheels, tracks and torsion bars are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 19 mm thick in the front, 13 in the rear.
• Mudguards and storage boxes are 5 mm thick.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	53	13	48	1,162	1,431	24.21	29.81
Realistic	48	12		663	750	13.81	15.63

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm M68					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	63	-10°/+20°	±180°	N/A	21.4	29.6	36.0	39.8	42.4	8.71	7.71	7.10	6.70
Realistic					13.4	15.8	19.1	21.2	22.5

Ammunition

• M728 APDS (Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot) is capable of easily penetrating the majority of the foes it meets, but these rounds do require finesse as to their placing. Because the shell lacks an explosive filler, the best bet is to try and either knock out the majority of the enemy tank's crew or to destroy the enemy by ammo or fuel detonation through hitting their respective storage capacities. This, of course, requires knowledge about the vehicles the M60A1 may face - so be sure to use the game's X-Ray view in the hangar and analyse the potential foes for their weak spots! Also, keep in mind that with increased armour thickness the amount of shrapnel shrinks.
• M393A2 HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head) works very differently from other shell types. It ignores any angle, except for ricochet and deals damage by metal-flakes which are blown off inside the armour by the exterior explosion. Basically, the fighting compartment is showered in metal rain. Currently, only true armour thickness (as opposed to the line of sight thickness) will provide sufficient means of protection, benefitting the USSR turret designs and in general German tanks. Like all high-explosive shells, the fuse is very sensitive and can be set-off by most objects e.g. fences, trees, pillars.
• M456 HEAT-FS (High-Explosive Anti-Tank Fin Stabilised): The knowledge of enemy vehicle layouts gained from the stock shell (M728), will be handy to use for the M60A1's fullest potential - as the M456 is a round that can penetrate most vehicle's armour frontally. Like the APDS shot, increased armour thickness results in a reduced amount of shrapnel after penetration. Unlike APDS it has one downside: Given that it is a chemical energy round, its fuse is highly sensitive in regards to its practical application in battle. As a result, virtually anything, such as trees or even a fence, will set it off prematurely, so the HEAT-FS round cannot fire through obstructions with this kind.
• M416 Smoke

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M728	APDS	260	258	250	240	231	222
M393A2	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M456	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M728	APDS	1,426	4.65	N/A	N/A	N/A	75°	78°	80°
M393A2	HESH	732	14.85	0.05	0.1	4,310	73°	77°	80°
M456	HEATFS	1,173	10.5	0.05	0.1	1,270	65°	72°	77°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M416	730	11.4	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M60A1 (AOS) (identical)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
63	49 (+14)	38 (+25)	17 (+46)	4 (+59)	1 (+60)	No

Notes:

• As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.
• Racks 3*, 4*and 5* are first stage ammo racks. They total 37 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
• These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 3 - 4 - 5 - 1 - 2.
• If you pack 17 (+46) shells, it will keep the front hull and the turret rear empty of ammo.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from non-essential into ready racks. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
• When refilling from racks 1 and 2, the refill order of ready racks is 5 - 4 - 3.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M85
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	900 (200)	626	-9°/+60°	±180°

7.62 mm M73
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	5,950 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Just like other M60s, you might not want to head on with your opponents. Instead, flank around and attack from the side. While having better armour than other medium tanks at this BR, it is not thick enough to block incoming shells like a heavy tank. The heavier armour will sometimes save your life, but do not rely on it. You might want to use appropriate camouflage and camouflage decorations to avoid enemy detection due to the unique shape and high recognisability.

The mobility of the M60 is nothing special from the tech tree family. You don't have the mobility like a Leopard due to the trade off of much better armour. The mobility is good enough to perform flanking and transfer to a better attack position. Get to an ideal attack position and be patient. You will get your reward.

M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" has four different shells, M728 APDS shell, M393A2 HESH shell, M456 HEAT-FS shell and M416 Smoke shell. Compared to its American predecessor M60, the Italian version replaces the M392A2 shell with M728 shell. Compare to M392, M728 has a lower 90° penetration but has better angled penetration. It's more like a APFSDS without fin. This characteristic makes the M728 shell perform better when against angled armoured targets. You should use M728 against most medium and heavy armoured targets and switch to M456 only when dealing with light armoured targets and heavy armoured targets that M728 is not able to penetrate. Smoke shell sounds useful but with the smoke screen already unlocked for a premium vehicle, you don't actually need the M456 Smoke shell.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	M393A2	NVD
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	M416	Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	M456	Rangefinder
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful gun
  • Very accurate gun at long ranges when upgraded
  • Good stock shell (APDS)
  • HEATFS and HESH shells available
• Decent turning capability
• Very good stock turret traverse speed
• Great off-road speed (but not as great as Leopards and T-10Ms)
• Sloped armour can be quite bouncy at range
• Once fully upgraded it offers very sharp handling and manoeuvrability
• Excellent acceleration when fully upgraded

Cons:

• Very high profile, made worse by the M19 commander's cupola
  • Commander's cupola armour is very large and very thin, can be penetrated easily by APCBC and HEAT rounds
  • Enemy shells can bounce off the turret roof (due to the angle) and could enter the cupola
  • Commander's .50 cal HMG is slower in manoeuvrability and not as effective compared to earlier vehicles due to the cupola
  • .50 cal coverage is limited due to commander's cupola
• Sides are at most 70 mm thick, they can be penetrated easily
• Turret ring can be penetrated by even autocannons
• Front is vulnerable to HEAT and the more powerful APHE (T-10M, Maus) at close range
• No armour-piercing shells with explosive filler

History

The M60 is a second generation main battle tank. It is the fourth and last generation of the Patton family to replace the outdated M48 tank. It entered service in 1962. In the late-70s to mid-80s, Italy purchased 100 M60A1 from the US to replace the outdated M47 and M48. Later, OTO Melara produced 200 more M60A1 under licence. The M60 was used by several armoured division including Armored Division Ariete, 32nd Armored Brigate Mameli, 60th Armored Battalion Pinerolo, 20th Tank Battlalion Pentimalli, 8th Tank Battalion Secchiaroli and 10th Tank Battalion Bruno. They also saw action in Lebanon in Operation LIBANO 1 and LIBANO 2. M60 has been gradually phased out with the end of the Cold War. It was completely replaced by C1 Ariete by 2008.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The M60 family discusses the M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" at 2:17 - War Thunder Official Channel

Underwhelming Premium: M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" - Virus

M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" Tank Review - Napalmratte

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• M60 (Family)

Vehicles equipped with the same gun

• ▃Magach 3 (ERA)
• XM-1 (Chrysler)
• XM-1 (GM)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.