M42 Duster
| M42 Duster | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 24.8 t (loaded) |
| Length | 5.82 m (19 ft 1 in) |
| Width | 3.23 m (10 ft 7 in) |
| Height | 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in) |
| Crew | 4–6 |
|
|
|
| Armor | 9–25 mm |
|
Main
armament |
M2A1 40 mm twin anti-aircraft gun with 336 rounds |
|
Secondary
armament |
1 × M1919A4 7.62 mm machine gun or 7.62mm M60 machine gun |
| Engine | 6-cylinder air-cooled gasoline 500 hp (375 kW) |
| Power/weight | 22.2 hp/t |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
|
Operational
range |
160 km (99 mi) |
| Speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) |
The M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster", is an American armored light air-defense gun built for the United States Army from 1945 until December 1960, in service until 1988. Production of this vehicle was performed by the tank division of the General Motors Corporation. It used components from the M41 light tank and was constructed of all-welded steel.
A total of 3,700 M42s were built. The vehicle has a crew of six and weighs 22,500 kg (49,500 lb) fully loaded. Maximum speed is 45 mph (72 km/h) with a range of 100 miles (160 km). Armament consists of fully automatic twin 40 mm M2A1 Bofors, with a rate of fire of 2×120 rounds per minute (rpm) and either a .30 caliber Browning M1919A4 or 7.62mm M60 machine gun. The 500 hp, six-cylinder, Continental (or Lycoming Engines), air-cooled, gasoline engine is located in the rear of the vehicle. It was driven by a cross-drive, two-speed Allison transmission.
Although the M42 Duster was initially designed for an anti-aircraft role, it proved highly successful when used in the Vietnam War against unarmored ground forces.
During the course of the Korean War, the U.S. Army decided to phase out all vehicles based on the M24 Chaffee chassis, such as the M19 Gun Motor Carriage 40 mm Anti-Aircraft, in favor of designs that utilized the chassis of the M41. Since the 40 mm guns were still seen as an effective anti-aircraft weapon, the turret of the M19 was simply mounted to the M41 chassis with few changes except a partial redesign to accommodate the larger turret ring of the M41 and designated as the M42.
Initially, the 40 mm guns were aimed with the assistance of a radar fire control system housed in a secondary vehicle of similar design but this idea was scrapped as development costs mounted.
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Wikipedia