Israel is one of the countries with the strongest defense industry in the world today
The Israeli defense industry development strategy is based on two main points of view
First, autonomy, capable of producing all the necessary equipment for the army
Second, focus on procuring weapons and equipment from foreign suppliers
but still maintain the role of upgrading and maintaining the domestic defense industry. Sabra MBT is one such example
The Sabra main battle tank originates from the M60A3 tank modernization program ordered by Turkey in 2002
In Turkey the Sabra is more widely known as the M60T
The first Sabra Mk II was delivered for Turkish trials in 2005 and passed qualifications in May, 2006
170 were upgraded between 2007 and April, 2009
Visually, the Sabra resembles the Merkava more than the American M60, with sharp edges and a more contoured look
Surfaces with a greater slope greatly improve the protection of the tank
Sabra has variants Sabra Mk I, Sabra Mk II, Sabra Mk III
The ballistic profile of the appliqué armor was improved and it incorporated the MG253 120 mm gun developed by IMI
The Turkish tank weighs between 55 and 59 tons, depending on the version
It has a length of 6.95 m, a width of 3.63 m and a height of 3.27 m
The crew of 4 includes: commander, gunner, loader and driver.
These tanks made their first combat debut in 2016 during a Turkish military operation in Syria against Kurdish fighters
Although the basis remains the old and trusted M60 chassis, the turret is completely new, and the engine upgraded
in the IDF tradition of improving their US-supplied M48 and M60
The Sabra was at first tried wth the urdan turret
but the Mark II went to a more classic M85 cupola allowing peripheral vision
and for the commander to fire its cal.50 HMG from a protected position, and a small hatch, rear opening above
The gunner's hatch is somewhat large and also rear-opening
The Sabra MBT is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore gun, which was developed in Israel and is similar to the Merkava Mk.3 gun
And is significantly superior to the original 105 mm gun on the M60
This gun is capable of firing all standard NATO 120 mm ammunition
A total of 42 rounds are carried
The firing management is assured by the Knight computerised fire control system
There is a line-of-sight stabilisation in elevation and azimuth for the best first hit probability, stationary or on-the-move against mobile targets
Vehicle is fitted with new modular armor protection
Upgraded tanks are equipped with automatic fire suppression systems
Secondary armament consists of coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun, and two machine guns of the same caliber mounted on top of the roof
Alternatively a 5.45 mm machine gun can be used. The Sabra MBT is also fitted with a 60 mm mortar
The Sabra I was originally powered by a 908 hp Continental AVDS-1790-5A diesel engine
On the Mk II & III it was replaced by a 1,000 hp MTU MT 881 KA-501 diesel engine
The tank can reach a maximum speed of 48 to 55 km/h depending on the variant, and the maximum range is 450 km