M42 twin 40-mm self-propelled gun ( eng. Twin 40mm Self-propelled Gun M42 ), also known under the unofficial name of " Duster " ( eng. Duster , "pollinator") [1] - anti-aircraft self-propelled gun (ZSU) USA 1950 period years. It was created in 1951 on the basis of the light tank M41 Walker Bulldog and was intended to replace a similar installation of the M19 , which used an outdated chassis at that time. It was adopted in 1953, mass-produced from 1951 to 1959 , a total of about 3,700 M42s were produced. In the US Army, the M42 and M42A1 were in service until 1969, after which they were transferred to the National Guard , where they were in service until 1991 [2] . It was used by the American contingent of troops during the Vietnam War , as a means of fire support for firing at ground targets [2] .
| M42 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Twin 40mm Self-propelled Gun M42 | |
| Classification | ZSU |
| Combat weight, t | 22.6 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Story | |
| Manufacturer | General Motors Corporation (ZSU), Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (tracks) |
| Years of production | 1951 - 1959 |
| Years of operation | 1953 - 1988 |
| Key Operators |  U.S. Army US National Guard |
| Dimensions | |
| Body length mm | 5819 |
| Length with gun forward, mm | 6358 |
| Width mm | 3223 |
| Height mm | 2847 |
| Clearance mm | 440 |
| Reservation | |
| Type of armor | rolled homogeneous |
| Forehead of the body (top), mm / city. | 13/33 ° |
| The forehead of the body (bottom), mm / city. | 25/39 ° |
| Board of the case (top), mm / city. | 13/0 ° |
| Board of the case (bottom), mm / city. | 13 / 45-60 ° |
| Housing feed (top), mm / city. | 13/56 ° |
| Housing feed (bottom), mm / city. | 19/41 ° |
| Bottom mm | 10–32 |
| Housing roof, mm | 13 |
| The mask of the gun , mm / city. | 13/0 ... 47 ° |
| Board towers, mm / city. | 8/0 ° |
| The feed of the tower, mm / city. | 8/0 ° |
| Roof of the tower, mm | open |
| Armament | |
| Caliber and brand of guns | 2 × 40 mm M2A1 |
| Gun type | threaded |
| Barrel length, calibres | 56.3 |
| Gun ammunition | 480 |
| Angles VN, deg. | -3 ... + 87 |
| Sights | anti-aircraft M38 and M24C |
| Machine guns | 1 × 7.62 mm M1919A4 |
| Mobility | |
| Engine type | boxer 6- cylinder carburetor air cooling |
| Engine power, l with. | 446 |
| Speed on the highway, km / h | 72 |
| Cruising on the highway , km | 161 |
| Specific Power, l s / t | 17.9 |
| Suspension type | individual torsion bar |
| Track Width mm | 533 |
| Ground pressure, kg / cm² | 0.65 |
| Gradeability, hail. | thirty |
| The overcome wall, m | 0.7 |
| The overcome ditch, m | 1.85 |
| Fording , m | 1,2 |
By the beginning of the 1970s, the M42s were largely replaced by the more modern M163 ZSUs, but remained in service with some units until 1988 .
Content
Modifications
- M42 - basic modification, with Continental AOS 895-3 engine .
- M42A1 - modification, entered service with the U.S. Army in 1956. It differs in the installation of a six-cylinder Continental AOSI-895-5 engine with a direct gasoline injection system, which made it possible to increase engine efficiency and increase the power reserve. In addition, instead of the M38 sight, an M50 fire control radar was installed in the tower.
Design
Armored Corps and Tower
The M42 case is made of rolled armor plates, cast and forged parts connected by welding. In the upper inclined sheet of the hull there is a hatch with a hinged lid for access to the control compartment and to the warhead. In the roof of the control compartment there are hatches for the driver and the commander of the machine.
The tower is cylindrical in shape, located in the middle of the machine and is open at the top. A shield cover and a movable armor shield are installed in front of the tower.
Armament
The main armament of the ZSU are two 40 mm M2A1 anti-aircraft guns mounted in a rotating tower. To fire from an anti-aircraft installation, an M38 anti-aircraft sight with an M24C collimator and a ring sight are used. Gun guidance is carried out by means of an electro-hydraulic drive M16A1E1 or manually. Shooting is carried out using the electric trigger, acting from the foot pedal.
As an auxiliary weapon, a 7.62 mm machine gun was installed in the aft part of the machine (initially M1919A4 , later they were replaced with M60 ).
Ammunition is 480 pcs. 40 mm shells and 1750 pcs. 7.62 mm rounds.
Surveillance Tools
For observation, the periscope M13 and the night vision device (periscope) M19 are used. There were attempts to equip the ZSU with a radar station for detecting and tracking targets paired with guns for measuring the range and angular coordinates of the target and simultaneously firing, the practical results of the application are unknown, and there was no mass conversion of the machines with new radars [3] .
Communication Tools
Engine and transmission
Chassis
Armed
- Austria - unspecified amount received from the USA [4]
- Venezuela - 6 M42, as of 2007 [5]
- Guatemala - unspecified amount sourced from the USA [4]
- Greece - 95 M42 as of 1998, purchased from Germany [4]
- Israel - unspecified amount sourced from the USA [4]
- Jordan - 216 M42, as of 2010 , in storage, withdrawn from service. [6]
- Republic of China - as of 2007 [7]
- Lebanon - from 1958 to 1984, 15 units were purchased, as of 2007 , 10 M42A1 remained [8]
- Thailand - 30 M42, as of 2007 [9]
- Tunisia - 12 M42, as of 2007 [10]
- Turkey - 262 M42A1, as of 2007 [11]
- Germany - in the period from 1956 to 1976 were in service with the Bundeswehr (496 received in total)
- South Vietnam - an unknown quantity was in service with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , received from the USA [2]
- Japan - unspecified amount sourced from the USA [4]
Operation and combat use
- M42 was actively used during the Vietnam War .
- M42 Lebanese army were used during the civil war in Lebanon .
Cinema
- M42 played a role in the 1978 film " Convoy ": it was from it that the truck of the protagonist of the picture - "Rubber Duckling" is shot.
Notes
- ↑ Gander, The Bofors Gun, 2013 , p. 235.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Gander, The Bofors Gun, 2013 , p. 237.
- ↑ Gander, The Bofors Gun, 2013 , p. 238.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Gander, The Bofors Gun, 2013 , p. 239.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007. - P. 90.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2010. - P. 258.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007. - P. 373.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007. - P. 233.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007. - P. 375.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007. - P. 245.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007 .-- P. 145.
Literature and Sources
- Crismon, Fred W. US Military Tracked Vehicles. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International, 1992.
- Gander, Terry . The Bofors Gun. (English) - Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, 2013 .-- 259 p. - ISBN 978-1-78346-202-5 .
- Hunnicutt, RP Sheridan. A history of the American Light Tank Volume 2 . - Presidio, 1995. ISBN 0-89141-570-X
- Tanks and self-propelled guns (encyclopedia of military equipment) / trans. from English, ed. S. Angels. M., LLC "Publishing house AST", 2001. p. 245
- Twin 40mm Self-propelled Gun M42 (AFV Database)