The First M60 tanks were issued to the United States Army in the fall of 1960 as replacements for the M48 Patton Tank. The M60A3 was introduced in 1978 and was the first production line tank to be outfitted with the Tank Thermal Sight (TTS). The TTS allowed the Tank Crew to pick out an enemy vehicle in the dark. The tank was also equipped with a meteorological sensor device that fed data directly into its ballistics battle movement. The M60A3 remained the main battle tank of the U. S. Army and Marine Corps until it was replaced in the mid-1980’s by the M1A1 Abrams Tank.