During the 1970s the Israel Defence Forces started to take deliveries of M60 Patton tanks from the US, and with the outbreak of the 1973 war the Israelis as received M60 tanks direct from US Army stocks as replacements.

Initially, were they were modified to Israeli specification with the addition of an M2 .50 cal machine-gun mounted over the gun mantlet and the addition of a 7.62mm machine-gun each for the loader and commanders hatches. The commanders cupola was also replaced with the lower Urdan cupola. After 1982 they added a thermal sleeve to the main gun.