Inflammable hydraulic fluid in the M-60 battle tank sent by the United States to Israel tended to incinerate Israeli crews after the tank was hit by Soviet built Sagger missiles in the Yom Kippur War, according to Senator Thomas Eagleton (D.Mo.). Eagleton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made a year-end trip to Israel to investigate tank battles in the war. In an informal report to Pentagon officials Thursday, Eagleton said the Israelis told him the armor plate on the M-60 was too thin, though they liked the tank’s mobility and firepower.
Eagleton will make written reports on the matter to the Senate committee. It was also reported that American military experts have been in Israel evaluating the effectiveness of a variety of weapons systems and that they confirmed that there was a problem with the hydraulic lines and fluid in the M-60 tank when it was hit by the Soviet-built penetrating missiles.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
