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M60 machine gun

From Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games
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M60 machine gun with bipod extended - 7.62x51mm NATO
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M60 machine gun with bipod folded - 7.62x51mm NATO
M60 redirects here. For other uses of M60 or Model 60 see M60 (disambiguation).

The M60 is a belt-fed 7.62mm general-purpose machine gun first adopted by the US military in 1957. Having seen the GPMG concept proven by the German MG42, the US decided to develop their own to replace the aging Browning Automatic Rifle as a squad automatic weapon and the Browning M1919 in the medium machine gun role. Seeking a more mobile weapon without the MG42's fearsome rate of fire (the design requirements specified the weapon should be fireable from the shoulder like the BAR), Saco Defense's winning design was based on an FG 42 paratrooper rifle converted to belt feed using an MG42 receiver cover called the T44.

The weapon was noted for performance issues in Vietnam, though often well-regarded by troops; like the early M16 versions, it was prone to fouling and mechanical issues in the harsh jungle environment. Perhaps the most criticized feature was that the weapon mounted the barrel, gas regulator, bipod and front sight as a single inseparable group with no handle, making barrel changes difficult (requiring the use of an easy-to-lose asbestos glove) and increasing the weight of spares. The weapon aged poorly and by the 1980s, there were complaints regarding runaway fire and worn pins resulting in guns literally falling apart: the fact that the entire trigger group is only secured with a single pin certainly did not help with this.

The M60 was partially replaced in the SAW role in the US Army by the M249 SAW in the 1980s and in the GPMG role by the M240 in 1995, but is still employed as a door gun on helicopters and enhanced versions used by a number of US military branches and other militaries. Fully-automatic M60s were available on the civilian market in the US prior to the passage of the Hughes Amendment which outlawed new production, and some companies produce semi-automatic clones.

The M60 machine gun and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Specifications

1957-present

Type: Medium Machine Gun / General-Purpose Machine Gun

Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO

Capacity: 100 or 200 round belt

Fire Modes: Fully Automatic (~600 RPM)


M60 Machine Gun

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan Australian soldiers Both infantry and UH-1 Huey door-mounted variants 2019
Triple Threat Ron Smoorenburg Steiner 2019
Project Gutenberg Jack Kao General Mounted on truck 2018
Hold the Dark Julian Black Antelope Cheeon 2018
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Henchman 2016
Son of a Gun Brenton Thwaites JR With railed handguard and ELCAN scope 2014
A Dark Truth Ecuadorian soldiers Mounted on a jeep. 2012
Battleground Seen in The Hunter's hideout. 2012
Osombie Jasen Wade Derek 2012
Tropic Thunder Jack Black Jeff "Fats" Portnoy Nicknamed "The Pig" 2008
A door-gunner Seen in the opening sequence
American Gangster soldier in Vietnam 2007
Delta Farce Larry the Cable Guy Corporal Larry McCoy 2007
The Battle of Long Tan Australian soldiers w/ bipod deployed 2006
Mr. & Mrs. Smith Seen sitting in Eddie's house 2005
Lord of War Sammi Rotibi André Baptiste Jr. Nicknamed "the gun of Rambo" 2005
Resident Evil: Apocalypse S.T.A.R.S. officer for a second, during the shootout with the overrunning zombies 2004
Without a Paddle Ethan Suplee Elwood the belt is loaded with crimped blank rounds 2004
Saving Jessica Lynch Iraqi insurgents 2003
Cradle 2 the Grave Anthony Anderson Tommy Erroneously shown mounted on an M1 Abrams tank 2003
The Coast Guard South Korean marines Fitted with bipod 2002
Warriors (Guerreros) Albanian soldiers Bipod-mounted 2002
The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course US Army Rangers 2002
We Were Soldiers US Army 1st Cavalry Division soldiers 2002
2009: Lost Memories Fureisenjin terrorist Futurized with digital ammo counter 2002
Black Hawk Down Ewen Bremner US Army Ranger Nelson 2001
Going Back United States Marines 2001
Tigerland U.S. Army soldiers 2000
The Beach Robert Carlyle Daffy 2000
The General's Daughter US soldier humvee-mounted; training sequence during the end credits 1999
Two M60's are seen in the crate in the armory
Wild Zero can be seen on the Yamazaki's base. 1999
Three Kings Ice Cube SSG "Chief" Elgin 1998
Spike Jonze PFC Vig
Soldier Mounted on Humvees 1998
Godzilla U.S Army Soldiers 1998
The Siege Mounted on U.S. Army Humvees 1998
The Ultimate Weapon Gunrunners 1998
A Time to Kill Army National Guard mounted on vehicle 1996
Courage Under Fire U.S. Army soldier 1996
Independence Day Mounted on Humvees 1996
Die Hard with a Vengence Jeremy Irons Simon Gruber 1995
Soldier Boyz David Barry Gray Lamb 1995
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Vinh Moc
Vinh Moc's soldiers
Forrest Gump U.S. Army soldiers 1994
Clear and Present Danger U.S. Coast Guard personnel & reciprocity team member 1994
Demolition Man Seen mounted in opening sequence 1993
Hard Boiled Seen in the weapons cache 1992
Universal Soldier Dolph Lundgren Sgt Andrew Scott/GR13 1992
Flight of the Intruder USAF crewmen Door-mounted on HH-3 "Jolly Green" helicopter 1991
Terminator 2: Judgement Day seen inside the Mojave desert armory 1991
The Last of the Finest Criminals 1990
Enemy North Vietnamesse soldiers mounted on the military vehicle and patrol boat 1990
Fire Birds U.S. DEA Agent 1990
Jacknife Robert De Niro Joseph "Jacknife" Megessey 1989
UHF "Weird Al" Yankovic George 1989
Casualties of War U.S Army soldiers 1989
Born on the Fourth of July U.S. Marines 1989
Hell Comes to Frogtown Cec Verrell Centinella 1988
Scrooged Santa's elves 1988
Off Limits mounted on various military vehicles 1988
BAT*21 S-61 Sea King doorgunner 1988
Die Hard Helicopter door gunner 1988
I Love Maria Scientist 1988
Hamburger Hill US Army soldiers and Việt Cộng 1987
Full Metal Jacket Tim Colceri helicopter door gunner Mounted on H-34 Choctaw helicopter 1987
Adam Baldwin "Animal Mother"
Matthew Modine "Private Joker"
Eastern Condors Yuen Biao Rat Chieh 1987
Joyce Godenzi Guerilla Girl #1
Gardens of Stone Casey Siemaszko Pvt. Wildman 1987
In Country US troops 1987
Police Academy 3 David Graf Eugene Tackleberry 1986
Platoon Willem Dafoe Sgt. Elias Grodin 1986
Johnny Depp Lerner armed on the watch
David Neidorf Tex Pvt. Junior Martin (Reggie Johnson) feeds the ammunition belt
Keith David King keeps in the typical Vietnam configuration with the bipod down
Kevin Eshelman Morehouse Big Harold Forest Whitaker feeds the ammunition belt
Dale Dye A helicopter door gunner mounted on a UH-1 'Huey'
Heartbreak Ridge Peter Koch "Swede" Johanson 1986
Coordinates of Death (Koordinaty smerti) Viet Cong guerrillas 1985
American Ninja Steve James Cpl. Jackson 1985
Rambo: First Blood Part II Andy Wood CIA operator Banks the bipod removed door-mounted on the UH-1 'Huey' 1985
Commando Leopard Lewis Collins Enrique Carrasco 1985
Soldiers and rebels
The Annihilators US Army soldier Footage 1985
Wheels of Fire Scourge's Man 1985
Ghostbusters Army National Guard soldier 1984
Missing In Action Chuck Norris Col. James Braddock 1984
Red Dawn Gorunov SGM mockup 1984
used as a door gun on a US Army "Huey" helicopter
Code Name: Wild Geese Manfred Lehmann Klein 1984
Lee Van Cleef Travers
Klaus Kinski Charleton
General Khan's soldiers, Charleton's men
Exterminator 2 Seen in X's hideout 1984
Lone Wolf McQuade David Carradine Rawley Wilkes 1983
Octopussy South American soldiers Mounted on Dodge M37 1983
Under Fire . Chadian Military . 1983
Blue Thunder LAPD S.W.A.T. 1983
Uncommon Valor Randall "Tex" Cobb Sailor 1983
First Blood Sylvester Stallone John Rambo 1982
The Dogs of War Zangaran troops fixed mount 1981
Mercenaries
Paul Freeman Derek removes it from the mount
The Exterminator Steve James Michael Jefferson 1980
Apocalypse Now Laurence Fishburne Tyrone "Mr Clean" Miller Mounted on U.S. Navy Patrol boat 1979
The Odd Angry Shot Australian SAS Troopers 1979
The Boys in Company C Andrew Stevens Billy Ray Pike 1978
Hickey & Boggs Michael Moriarty Ballard 1972

Television

Show Title / Episode Actor Character Note Air Date
Hawaii Five-O Various Revolutionaries Season 2 Episode: "Savage Sunday" 1968-1980
Magnum, P.I. Larry Manetti Rick Orville Wright 1980-1988
Magnum P.I. James Wainwright Lyden "Past Tense" (S3E05) 1982
V: The Original Miniseries Various 1983
A-Team Various 1983 - 1987
Miami Vice Coati Mundi Ramone 1984 - 1989
Tour of Duty U.S. military personnel 1987 - 1990
Vietnam War Story Eriq La Salle KC 1987-1989
Vietnam War Story Todd Graff Pvt. Malone "Seperated" 1987
The X-Files Various 1993 - 2002
The Stand U.S. military personnel 1994
Viper (TV Series) Gangbaner 1996 - 1999
Stargate SG-1 Various 1997 - 2007
Ultimate Force Columbian Army 2006
Trevor White Ritzic
Guns 2007 - 2008
Deadliest Warrior Medellin Cartel Season 2 Episode: "Somali Pirate vs Medellin Cartel" 2009-???
Iris - Season 1 North Korean terrorists 2009
Breaking Bad - Season 5 Bryan Cranston Walter White 2013
Fortunate Son US Marine Seen in documentary footage; "White Rabbit" (S01E06) 2020

Anime

Title Character Note Date
Kochikame, The UFO Movie 1996 - 2004
Spriggan (1998) Yu Ominae 1998
You're Under Arrest: The Movie Yoriko Nikaidou 1999
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Batou With futuristic detailing and furniture 2004 - 2005
Black Lagoon Filipino Army soldier 2006
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage Rico 2006
Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan Vespania soldiers 2009
Rideback BMA terrorist 2009
Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3 Karila Hatsuse Airsoft 2013

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Mods Notation Release Date
Doom Plasma Gun the front end of a dart-firing Nerf M60 replica was used for sprite design 1993
Doom II: Hell on Earth 1994
Final Doom 1996
Fallout Tactics 2001
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Seen in cutscene, used by depllyed Allied GIs 2000
Operation Flashpoint 2001
Ghost Recon Added with Desert Siege expansion 2001
Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror 2002
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Handheld and mounted on helicopter 2002
Battlefield: Vietnam 2004
Shellshock Nam '67 Upgradeable with extended barrel and 1,000-round ammo backpack 2004
Conflict: Vietnam 2004
Project Reality Handheld and mounted on rigid inflatable boats 2005
Vietcong 2 2005
Elite Warriors Vietnam 2005
The Suffering: Ties That Bind 2006
World in Conflict Cutscenes only 2007
Cross Fire "M60" 2007
7.62 High Calibre 2008
Left 4 Dead 2 With weaponlight and optional laser sight Cannot be reloaded 2009
1968 Tunnel Rats (VG) 2009
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker M60 w/ various upgrades 2010
Battlefield Bad Company 2 2011
Breach railed top cover 2011
Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops Minigun twin-mounted on Humvees and Black Hawks 2011
War Inc. Battlezone 2012
Project Reality: Vietnam Hand-held and vehicle-mounted 2012
Payday 2 M60 added in Fugitive Weapon Pack (2020) 2013
World of Guns: Gun Disassembly M60 2014
Alekhine's Gun Unusable 2016
The Division 2016
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades 2016
Shadow Warrior 2 MG Triple-6 w/ golden parts 2016
Mafia III 2016
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam 2017
Far Cry 5 "M60-V" Hours of Darkness DLC 2018
Maximum Action "M60" M60E3 vertical foregrip 2018
Far Cry New Dawn 2019
The Division 2 2019
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War M60 w/ various attachments 2020
Far Cry 6 "M60 NV" 2021

Animation

Title Voice Actor Characters Notation Date
Love, Death & Robots - Season 3 seen in armory; "Kill Team Kill" (S3E05) 2022


M60B Machine Gun

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M60B machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO

Short-lived variant without a pintle mount or bipod that was used in helicopters but was not actually mounted. Some versions also lacked a stock. Replaced by the spade-grip M60D.

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Mods Notation Release Date
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker M60 (SB) Used as a standard handheld weapon 2008


M60C Machine Gun

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M60C machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO

Aircraft-mounted stockless variant with an electronic firing control and hydraulic cocking mechanism, used on US helicopter external mounts in the 60s and 70s.

Film

Title Vehicle Note Date
Invasion U.S.A. UH-1 Huey 1985
Starman UH-1 Huey 1984
Apocalypse Now UH-1 Huey 1979
The Green Berets UH-1 Huey 1968

M60D Machine Gun

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M60D machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO
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M60D machine gun new version - 7.62x51mm NATO

Spade-grip pintle mount version with no handguard, made as a replacement for the M60B.

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
Our Agent Tiger (Le Tigre se parfume à la dynamite) Micaela Pignatelli Sarita Sanchez 1965
The Green Berets US Army soldiers Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters 1968
Apocalypse Now US Army soldiers Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters 1979
Red Dawn Lea Thompson Erica Mason Mocked up as DShK heavy machine gun, mounted on tripod 1984
Soviet Army soldiers Mocked up as DShK heavy machine gun, mounted on tripods & fake T-72 tanks and door-mounted on fake Mi-24 Hind helicopters
Rambo: First Blood Part II Soviet Army soldiers Mocked up as DShK heavy machine gun, door-mounted on fake Mi-24 Hind helicopter 1985
Commando Leopard Soldiers Door-mounted on helicopters 1985
The Annihilators Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopter; Footage 1985
Hamburger Hill US Army soldiers Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters 1987
Casualties of War US Army soldiers Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters 1989
Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection Door-mounted on helicopter 1990
Toy Soldiers US Army soldiers Door-mounted on UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters 1991
In the Army Now Mounted on desert patrol vehicles 1994
Mercenary Olivier Gruner 'Hawk' modded to look like a DShK 1996
Mercenaries modded to look like a DShK
Courage Under Fire US Army soldiers Standing in for M240D machine gun, mounted on fake M1 Abrams tanks 1996
The Peacemaker USAF door mounted helicopter 1997
April Captains (Capitães de Abril) Portuguese soldiers Mounted on M48A5 tanks 2000
Going Back US Marine Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopter 2001
Behind Enemy Lines US Marines Door-mounted on UH-1N & UH-1H Huey helicopters 2001
Tears of the Sun US Navy crewmen Door-mounted on SH-60 Seahawk helicopters 2003
Saving Jessica Lynch US Army soldiers Door-mounted on UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters 2003
Jarhead Door-mounted on UH-1N Huey helicopter 2005
Tropic Thunder Door gunner Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopter 2008
Terminator Salvation Christian Bale John Connor Door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopter 2009
R2B: Return to Base South Korean pararecsueman Door-mounted on SH-60 Black Hawk helicopters 2012

Television

Title Actor Character Note Date
Firefly henchman "Heart of Gold" (S01E13) 2003
Ultimate Force Unused, door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters 2006
Situation Critical 2007 - 2008
Revolution S01E10, seen door-mounted on UH-1 Huey helicopters 2012
Magnum P.I. Zachary Knighton Orville "Rick" Wright 2018-
Stranger Things U.S. Army "Chapter Eight: "The Battle of Starcourt" (S3E08) 2019

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Mods Notation Release Date
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames mounted on various vehicles 2008
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam mounted on the UH-1 'Huey' helicopter 2017

Anime

Title Character Note Date
Upotte!! mounted in UH-1 and CH-47 helicopters 2012

M60E3 Machine Gun

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M60E3 machine gun with short barrel as seen in Commando - 7.62x51mm NATO
M60E3 machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO

Lightweight version developed in the mid-eighties for the US Marine Corps and adopted in 1986 to replace their stocks of original production M60s, using a bipod mounted to the handguard rather than the barrel and fitted with a front pistol grip. The decreased weight led to decreased reliability and heating problems, and the E3 was largely replaced in service by the M240.

As a side-note, the M60E1 was a version with the bipod mount moved to the handguard which never entered production, while the E2 is a coaxial version with no furnishings or stock and a lengthened gas tube used on the M48A5 and M60 Patton tanks (replacing the alarmingly awful M73 machine gun) and the South Korean K1 MBT.

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
Commando Arnold Schwarzenegger John Matrix Short barrel 1985
Arius' men Short barrel
Rambo: First Blood Part II Sylvester Stallone John Rambo 1985
Never Too Young to Die Doorgunner 1986
Predator Bill Duke Sgt.Mac Short barrel 1987
Rage of Honor Henchmen 1987
Die Hard Terrorists 1988
Bulletproof Danny Trejo Sharkey 1988
Hot Shots! Part Deux Charlie Sheen Topper Harley Short barrel 1993
In the Army Now Pauly Shore PFC Bones Conway 1994
Clear and Present Danger Special Ops members Short barrel 1994
The Rock Steve Harris Pvt. McCoy 1996
Tomorrow Never Dies Götz Otto Robert Stamper 1997
Exit Wounds A helicopter gunner 2001
Jarhead U.S. Marines 2005
The A-Team A helicopter gunner 2010
FDR: American Badass Anachronistic 2012

Television

Show Title Actor Character Note / Episode Air Date
Stargate SG-1 U.S. military personnel 1997 – 2007
Harsh Realm Republican Guard 1999
Battlestar Galactica Colonial Marine 2004-2009
Continuum - Season 2 remote-controlled / Episode 2 "Split Second" 2013
Fear the Walking Dead - Season 1 Panou U.S. Army Soldier "The Good Man" (S1E06) 2015

Anime

Title Character Note Date
Sky Blue A rebel 2003
Eden of the East Seen in Takizawa's closet 2009

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Mods Notation Release Date
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear "M60" Black Thorn expansion 2000
Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza N/A 2002
Conflict: Desert Storm 2002
Conflict: Desert Storm II 2003
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Seen in crate of weapons, unusable 2005
Conflict: Global Terror 2005
Punisher 2005
Rainbow Six: Vegas cut weapon 2006
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare "M60E4" 2007
Cross Fire "M60E3" 2007
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 cut weapon 2008
Call of Duty: Black Ops "M60" 2010
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 2011
Call of Duty: Black Ops II "M60" w/ optional Colt scope, Aimpoint Electronic reflex sight, or foregrip 2012
The Showdown Effect Mk-60 2013
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades "M60E3" 2016


M60E4 Machine Gun

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M60E4 machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO
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M60E4 machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO

Improved M60E3 with improved internals, a new front pistol grip/handguard and a redesigned gas system.

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
Dawn of the Dead Zack Snyder Commando 2004
Blade: Trinity Paul Levesque Jarko Grimwood 2004

Television

Show Title Actor Character Note Air Date
Black and White Sarkozy group 2009

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Mods Notation Release Date
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Xbox 360 only 2006
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Xbox 360 only 2007
ArmA II Available in the Operation Arrowhead expansion 2010
Counter-Strike Online 2010
State of Decay "M60E4" Railed handguard 2013
Far Cry 5 "M60" Missing foregrip 2018
Call to Arms M60E4 2018
Far Cry New Dawn 2019
Far Cry 6 "Rambo's M60" Officially licensed Rambo bundle item 2021


Mk 43 Mod 0/1

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Mk 43 Mod 0 - 7.62x51mm NATO
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Mk 43 Mod 1 with RIS foregrip - 7.62x51mm NATO

An M60E4 variant designed for the US Navy, largely identical to the standard E4. The Mod 1 version features additional RIS mounts. Largely replaced in service by the Mk48 Mod 0/1.

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
Tears of the Sun Cole Hauser James "Red" Atkins Mk 43 Mod 0 variant 2003
Paul Francis Danny "Doc" Kelley
U.S. Marine

Television

Show Title Actor Character Note Air Date
The Unit Dennis Haysbert Jonas S04E07 2009
Banshee - Season 2 Fat Au's man Episode 10 2014

Video Games

Game Title Appears as Mods Notation Release Date
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots "M60E4" With optional foregrip, laser pointer, and various optics 2008
Medal of Honor "M60 Machine Gun" Can be fitted with sights 2010
Battlefield Play4Free "M60" With optional tan foregrip, pistol grip, and stock 2011
Battlefield 3 "M60E4" With various optional attachments 2011
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier "M60" w/ various attachments 2012
Battlefield 4 "M60E4" w/ various optional attachments added with Second Assault DLC 2013
Warface "M60E4" 2013
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades "M60E4" 2016

Replica or Airsoft Variants

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A&K M60 VN - 6mm BBs

Several manufacturers made the Vietnam Era Model Airsoft gun. LCT Full Steel, ASGK and A&K. The A&K Version is notable because, despite being the first pattern Vietnam Era Model, it has the receiver, the pistol grip assembly and the Buttstock of the M60E3 which makes it a bit of a frankengun.

Television

Show Title Actor Character Note Air Date
Rookie, The - Season 4 Chris Gann Evan Rando S04E02 A&K M60VN 2021



See Also