- Yes
- No
Description:
In 1975, Sadam Husein visited Yugoslavia in an attempt to establish military cooperation with Yugoslavia, it was successful and Tito visited Iraq the following year where they signed an agreement for military cooperation, and part of that was the purchase of 190 M-60 APCs from Yugoslavia. These APCs were designed and produced around 1956, and were quickly noted as being unreliable and prone to breakdowns. Though there were attempts to fix these in the 60s, it wouldn’t be until 1973 where the M-60P would enter mass production, where a new planetary gearing system was installed to improve steering. the B in the designation refers to a variant which increases firepower by installing two 82mm recoilless rifles to rear left corner of the vehicle, with the rear compartment being modified to accommodate it, and the number of passengers being reduced as a result. These recoilless rifles were stated to being capable of penetrating around 220-400mm of armor depending on the source, muzzle velocity of 388m/s, an effective range of 500 m, a maximum range of 4,500 m, capable of firing ~4-5 rounds per minute, -4 degrees of gun depression, 6 degrees of elevation, and ~360 degrees of traverse
Images above showing the recoilless rifle, and its sight.
The only noteworthy differences between the Iraqi M-60PB vs the Yugoslavian M-60PB would be a 12.7mm Dshk machine gun instead of an M2 Browning, and there is a photo of a Iraqi M-60P with the last road wheel being smaller than the rest, I’m pretty sure its nothing more than a convenient field repair but I still thought it was worth mentioning. I’m unsure if the Iraqi version was amphibious like the Yugoslavian version, however I don’t think they would really need it, and there are plenty of photos of them using the Trim Vane on the front of the vehicle as an additional storage compartment.
Image above showing the roadwheel in question.
Despite the improvements of the P variant, the M-60 was still unpopular even in Yugoslavia due to its unreliability, and the situation was arguably worse for the Iraqis, as they noted it was virtually unusable with the engine constantly suffering from overheating issues in the hot desert sun. As a result, it didn’t remain in service with them for long Allegedly when Yugoslavian officials asked how the M-60 was performing, the Iraqis responded with “If you want us to remain friends, better not to ask us.”
Why it should be added:
I think this vehicle should either be added as a tech tree vehicle if an Iraqi sub-tree, is added, or as a premium vehicle if a Yugoslav Tech/Sub-Tech tree were to be added. Regardless it would be a capable tank destroyer for the 6.7-8.0 BR.
Specifications:
Spoiler
| Size (L-W-H) | 5 x 2.7 x 1.86 m |
|---|---|
| Weight, battle-ready | 10.7 tonnes |
| Crew | 4 (Driver, commander, machine gunner, and gunner) |
| Engine | FAP six-cylinder 140 hp 2,000 rpm diesel engine |
| Speed/off-road | 40 km/h, 20 km/h |
| Range/off-road | 400 km, 250 km |
| Primary Armament | 1x 12.7 mm Dshk heavy machine gun, 2x M-60 82 mm Recoilless Rifles |
| Armor (Front-Side-Rear) | 15 mm, 13 mm, 10 mm |
Photos:
Spoiler
Sources:
