M42A1 Duster – Foton &; Video

Fotogalleri av en M42A1 Dammvippa, 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 1952 until December 1959, 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.

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Den M42A1 Dammvippa was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed by the United States Army in the 1950s. It was based on the chassis of the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank and armed with two 40 mm Bofors guns mounted in an open-topped turret. The M42A1 was designed to provide air defense for ground forces against low-flying aircraft and helicopters. It was also capable of engaging ground targets with its high-explosive shells.
M42A1 togs i tjänst 1953 och deltog i strider i Koreakriget och Vietnamkriget. Det var effektivt mot fientliga flygplan i Korea, men stod inför större utmaningar i Vietnam, där terrängen och vädret begränsade dess sikt och rörlighet. M42A1 led också av brist på pansarskydd och en hög silhuett som gjorde den sårbar för fiendens eld. Trots dessa nackdelar visade sig M42A1 vara en värdefull tillgång för att stödja infanteri- och artillerienheter med sina snabbskjutande kanoner.
Den M42A1 was gradually replaced by more advanced air defense systems in the 1960s and 1970s, such as the M163 Vulcan and the MIM-72 Chaparral. The last M42A1 units were retired from the US Army in 1988. Some M42A1s were exported to other countries, such as Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand, where they remained in service until the 1990s. The M42A1 is now a rare and collectible vehicle among military enthusiasts and historians.