M163 VADS

M163 VADS
M163 VADS
	A U.S. Army M163 from the 24th Infantry Division at the Fort Irwin National Training Center in November 1988
Type	Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1968–present
Used by	See list of operators
Wars	Vietnam War; Western Sahara War; 1982 Lebanon War; Invasion of Panama; Persian Gulf War; Israeli–Palestinian conflict; Iraq War (Limited); Yemeni Civil War (2014-present); Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen;
Production history
Designer	General Electric
Designed	1964
Produced	1965–1970, 1975-1979, 1982
No. built	654
Specifications
Mass	24,700 lb (11,200 kg) (M163); 27,140 lb (12,310 kg) (M163A1); 27,542 lb (12,493 kg) (M163A2) combat weight
Length	191.5 in (4.86 m)
Width	112.4 in (2.85 m)
Height	115 in (2.9 m)
Crew	4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Elevation	+80° / -5°
Armor	Rolled 5083/5086 H32 aluminium, 29 mm (1.14 in) - 45 mm (1.77 in)
Main; armament	M168 General Dynamics 20 mm Rotary cannon; 2,000 rounds (M163); 2,230 rounds (M163A1/A2)
Engine	General Motors 6V53, 6-cylinder two-stroke diesel; 212 hp (158 kW)
Suspension	torsion bar, 5 road wheels
Operational; range	275 mi (443 km) (M163/A2); 300 mi (480 km) (M163A1)
Maximum speed	40 mph (64 km/h)

The M163 Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS), officially Gun, Air Defense Artillery, Self-Propelled 20-mm, M163, is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) that was primarily used by the United States Army. The M163 provides mobile, short-range air defense protection for ground units against low-flying fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. It replaced the M42 Duster as the standard American armored light air-defense gun.^[2]