M48 Patton [SEP] service entry
In April 1953, the Army standardized the last of the Patton series tanks as the 90mm Gun Tank M48 Patton.
In April 1952 Chrysler Corporation began production of the M48 at its Newark, Delaware, plant. The tank was christened after the late General George S. Patton at its public debut at the Chrysler plant in July. General Motors and Ford Motor Company produced the tank in Michigan. Also in July the Army awarded American Locomotive Company a $200 million contract to produce the tank. In December Chrysler took on
Magach
Magach (מגח; Ma-GAKH) designation refers to a series of tanks in Israeli service. The tanks are based on the American M48 and M60 Patton tanks. The name continued to be used for all Patton tanks, including the M60. Magach 1, 2, 3 and 5 are based on M48 tanks whereas Magach 6 and 7 are based on M60A1 and M60 tanks respectively.
Service history.
The first M48 Patton tanks acquired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were purchased from West Germany