T249 Vigilante
Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The T249 Vigilante was a prototype 37 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) designed as a replacement for the Bofors 40 mm gun and M42 Duster in US Army service.[1] The system consisted of a 37 mm T250 six-barrel Gatling gun mounted on a lengthened M113 armored personnel carrier platform.
T250 Vigilante | |
---|---|
Type | Autocannon |
Place of origin | United States |
Production history | |
Designer | Springfield Armory |
Designed | 1956–1962 |
No. built | 6 |
Specifications | |
Length | 130 inches (330 cm) |
Barrel length | 100 inches (254 cm) |
Cartridge | 37×219mmSR T68 |
Barrels | 6 |
Action | Hydraulically powered, rotary |
Rate of fire | Maximum 3,000 rpm in anti-aircraft use, decreased to 120 rpm for ground targets |
Muzzle velocity | 915 m/s |
Feed system | 192 rd drum magazine |
By the early 1960s, the US Army declared that gun-based systems were outdated, and canceled further development in favor of the MIM-46 Mauler missile system that also failed to enter service. The designer, the Sperry Utah Engineering Laboratory, later revived the Vigilante, rechambering it for NATO-standard 35×228mm rounds and mounting it on a M48 Patton tank chassis for the Division Air Defense (DIVAD) contest. However, it ultimately lost to Ford's M247 Sergeant York that also failed to enter service.