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M247 Sergeant York

1981 COLD WAR

M247 History of Sergeant York

In the second half of the 1970s, the US Army requested a self-propelled tracked defense system to replace the M163 "Vulcan" Gatling and MIM-72 "Chaparral" tracked missile carriers. In turn, was created in the aftermath of the General Dynamics MIM-46 "Maurer" air defense program.

The new car will be part of an emerging "one-two punch" consisting of the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (MBT) and the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The now obsolete M48 Patton Medium Tank (M48A5) will serve as the hull and base for vehicle components in the new SPAA system, a cost-cutting and logistically sound move.

Design work spanned from 1977 to 1985 under the direction of the now-defunct Ford Aerospace.

The final product became the short-lived M247 "Sergeant York", a 54-ton vehicle that introduced an all-new turret with the necessary radar facilities, detection equipment and 2 x 40mm Bo Fox Cannon. The vehicle is 7.7 meters long, 3.6 meters wide and 3.4 meters high.

She had a crew of three, including the driver, commander and gunner. The turret allows an elevation range of -5 to +85 and a full 360-degree traverse, while the Bofors' twin 40mm L/70 guns can reach a range of 12.5 km with a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. The onboard ammunition depot holds a total of 580 rounds, and the reloading process takes 15 minutes. Westinghouse's AN/APG-68 radar provides radar direction for guns with ranges up to 40 kilometers (25 miles).

Fire control is digital and also includes a laser rangefinder. The vehicle is powered by a 750 hp Continental AVDS-1790-2D series diesel engine, giving the M247 a road range of 500 kilometers and a road speed of 48 kilometers per hour. The vehicle relies on six rubber tire dual-road wheels in a "track wheel" arrangement with a drive sprocket at the rear and a chain idler and front.

Five track return rollers were identified along each side of the fuselage. The torsion bar suspension provides the necessary off-road capability.

By this point, attack helicopters were a growing threat to friendly armour, and anti-tank missiles were a vast improvement over their earlier forms. The introduction of the Abrams and Bradley vehicles also spurred the development of tracked vehicles that could keep pace with advancing armored columns, a need for the U.S. Army's Advanced Radar-Guided Artillery Air Defense System ( ARGADS) came into being. It was eventually developed under the better known name "DIVision Air Defense" (DIVAD). Considering several entries, in January 1978 General Dynamics and Ford Aerospace were awarded contracts to build prototypes of the XM246 and XM247, respectively.

After direct review, Ford's entry was declared the winner, with the eventual name "M247" and the nickname "Sergeant York" - a name used to refer to the famous American hero of World War I and recipient of the Medal of Honor . In honor of Alvin Cullum York (1887-1964). The U.S.

Army envisions a complete inventory of 618 York vehicles.

The M247 was introduced in 1981, followed by production quality vehicles. However, the program encountered various problems that led it to be terminated early through cancellation, with only a paltry 50 units delivered. The M247 turned out to be too slow to compete with the fast Abrams and Bradleys it was designed for, and had mechanical/engineering issues.

These issues are also compounded with weapons that prove to be too short-range for the character at hand. Testing continued until 1984, and although life support was required, the vehicle proved largely unusable, leading to its termination on August 27, 1985.

Few Yorks were rescued from the scrap heap, and many Hulks ended up being bomb targets for the US Air Force.

In response to the urgent need for SPAA, the U.S. Army adopted the M2 Bradley-inspired (M2A2) M6 "Linebacker" variant, equipped with Stinger missiles. The HMMWV-inspired M1097 Avenger vehicle is also equipped with Stinger launchers to further close the gap.