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[1]
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)
Secondary armament	None/crew small arms
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]