M42 (Duster)

History

After the Communist-backed North invaded the Democratic South, the United States went to war in North Korea in 1950 and sparked the Korean War, which lasted, at least on paper, from 1950 to 1953. Such a wartime environment dictated the short-term needs of each army, so U.S. authorities began phasing out the WWII-era M24 Chaffee light tank and all related derivatives in order to begin production of new derivatives based on it. The newer M41 "Walker Bulldog" light tank. Development of the M41 light tank began in 1947, followed by production in 1953 to directly replace the outdated M24.

The M24 proved successful enough at the time, but new warfare required a modern weapon system that would have improved armor protection and firepower.

An offshoot of the original M24 light tank family became the M19 Gun Motor Carriage self-propelled anti-aircraft platform, which housed a pair of 40mm Bofors cannons in an open-top movable turret. While the M24 chassis on which it was built is no longer a viable solution for the redesigned U.S.

Army, the turret system and its 40mm gun remain an effective short-range deterrent against low-flying enemy aircraft. Therefore, it was decided to simply transfer the existing M19 turret and related weapons to the new all-welded steel hull of the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank - bringing with it an updated anti-aircraft weapon system and a new designation "M42".

The M42 is powered by a single 6-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine producing 500 hp. The main armament is the aforementioned pair of M2A1 Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns and a 7.62mm M1919A4 general purpose machine gun (or later M60 GPMG) as secondary armament. The guns were initially associated with a radar-guided fire control system, but the option was eventually pushed in lieu of project cost.

Each cannon maintains a massive rate of fire of 240 rounds per minute with fully automatic firing action. Since the M42 is based on the chassis of the M41 light tank, it reflects many of the latter's qualities, including torsion bar suspension, well-inclined swashplates, and five wheels per track side. The M42 is said to have a range of about 100 miles and a top speed of nearly 45 mph. Operating weight is close to 49,500 lbs.

A standard operator will have 4 to 6 people, including the driver and firearms specialist.

The M42 began production at General Motors' Cleveland Tank Plant in 1952 and entered service the following year. Production continued until 1959, with approximately 3,700 vehicles delivered to the U.S. Army and other countries. As missile technology continued to advance in the booming jet age, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns like the M42 were widely considered obsolete.

Therefore, starting in 1963, the type was gradually withdrawn from active front-line service and replaced by more modern and advanced missile guidance systems such as the MIM-23 HAWK - a medium-range tracked surface-to-air deterrent.

The United States has engaged in restraint activities in Vietnam since the 1950s. Participation increased in the early 1960s, and full-scale military operations began in 1965. Therefore, HAWK missile systems are deployed in Vietnam to protect Allied ground interests from enemy low-altitude air strikes.

However, HAWK proved weak against such targets at this range, so the M42 was reactivated during the Vietnam War and used to reinforce air defense constraints. These M42s were upgraded to M42A1s with new engines and were assigned to three battalions of the Air Defense Artillery Department.

At some point in its career, the M42 was referred to as a "dust collector" by American soldiers.

The air defense service initially provided by the Duster system was seldom useful, as North Vietnamese low-flying aircraft were not supposed to pose a significant threat. Spare parts are hard to come by, and maintenance requirements for aging weapons are high. As a result, the M42s are increasingly used in ground support roles where their twin rapid-firing 40mm cannons can be used against excavated enemies or troop buildups and soft-skinned vehicles.

In fact, Duster proved to be excellent in this role and continued to provide armed escorts to convoys and to protect U.S. bases from air or ground attack by North Vietnamese elements. After the last M42 squads left Vietnam mainland, Dusters would fill the ranks of the U.S.

National Guard until the model was officially retired permanently in 1988.

The main variants of the M42 series consisted of the original production M42, then the improved M42A1, which was nothing more than an M42 with a 500hp AOSI-89505 series engine (and other minor improvements). The "Type 64" is the name used by the Taiwan Army for a light tank that blends the open-top turret of the outdated World War II-era M18 Hellcat tank destroyer with the existing M42 hull.

Likewise, Venezuela developed a domestic self-propelled air defense system by fitting the existing M42A1 turret with a French AMX-13M51 light tank tracked hull to build the AMX-13/M41E1 "LaFalgar".

Although the M42 never received a consistent export hit, it still found a home outside of the U.S. military as it continued to stockpile for the armies of West Germany, Greece and Japan, as well as the armies of Lebanon, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Jordan, Venezuela and Pakistan. Pakistan can still keep around 100 active duty.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

336 x 40mm projectile.

Changes