Production of the M60A2 began in 1974. It featured a 152mm Shillelagh gun/missile system (with 13 missiles and 33 rounds). This new tank with a smaller turret was developed in the 1960s, but was not contracted until 1971, when the Army agreed to purchase 526 rebuilt vehicles with the new turret. This became the M-60A2 (the "A-deuce"). Armed with a revolutionary 152mm gun-launcher system, the A2 was also equipped with one of the first laser rangefinders ever fielded.
The gun-launcher could fire conventional ammunition with a fully combustible charge, or the Shillelagh laser guided missile. Shillelagh was designed to be the main armament for armored combat vehicles. The Shillelagh was a direct fire missile which was launched from a combination gun-launcher and was effective against tanks and fortifications. Its 152mm gun-launcher could fire either missiles or conventional ammunition. T
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