This topic is categorised … Most of the production M247 vehicles ended up as targets on air force bombing ranges. Philip Trewhitt, "Armoured Fighting Vehicles", Prospero Books, 1999 (second edition?). "[16] In the DT/OT II test series they shot down two F-86 Sabre fighters, five UH-1 Huey helicopters and twenty-one smaller drones. While capable for the era it was designed in, by the time it reached widespread service in the late 1950s it was clear that it was ineffective against high-speed jet-powered targets. There was four distinct magazine LRU’s, a mirror image left and right sided. [10] The Shilka proved that a modern SPAAG was effective against modern aircraft. The Sgt York could be in the middle of loading at any time, bang a lever twice, and within 20 seconds the loading session was aborted, and the hatch closed, and the system ready to fire. Yes, we really are that fast! This gave them time to mature through testing and shakedowns. These buckets were set up in loops that traveled horizontal in an arc, and feed stripers were used to strip a round out of one bucket, and up (for firing) or down, (for loading) into the next, and then to the elevator. Après avoir testé les deux systèmes, les autorités militaires américaines ont retenu le projet de Ford Aerospace and Communications, ont planifié la construction d'un prototype pour mai 1981 et l'ont désigné M247 Ser­geant York. Several aircraft were lost or damaged. The Linebacker has been retired from active service, while the M1097 Avenger HMMWV-based Stinger-equipped systems have been downsized.[26]. Thank you to World of Tanks for sponsoring this video! [14] The gun could be fired at 3,000 rounds per minute for anti-aircraft use, or 180 rounds per minute for use against ground targets, fed from a 1,464 round magazine. In keeping with this, the Army had previously placed relatively low priority on anti-aircraft weapons. The Vulcan could react quickly enough to the fleeting targets, but its 20 mm gun had an effective range of only about 1,200 meters, far shorter than the 3,000 to 5,000 meters range of the 9K114. The Chaparral's AIM-9D missiles were capable of tail-chase launches only, but offered ranges up to 5 miles. To add to the problems, another generation of Soviet helicopter and missile designs was pushing their envelope out to 6,000 m, rendering DIVADs ineffective at long range. [17] The decision was controversial, as the General Dynamics entry had "outscored" the Ford design consistently in testing, nineteen "kills" to nine by most accounts. Join World of Tanks now! Also using an all-optical firing system, the Chaparral nevertheless required the operator to "settle" the missiles on the target for a period of time to allow them to lock on, limiting its ability to deal with quickly moving targets. [21] The tests were carried out late in 1984. The testers then started adding radar reflectors to the drone to address this "problem", eventually having to add four. "[12] It was claimed that this would cut up to five years from the development cycle, although it would require problems to be found in service and fixed on the operational vehicles. They also worked in the earlier FLIR/laser requirement. Some critics claim that Ford's use of the 40 mm Bofors appears to have been a business decision, not a technical one. The system was powered by a hydraulic motor and turned at 75 rpm, slow, but feed the canon perfectly. and then reassembling. Most of the production M247 vehicles ended up as targets on air force bombing ranges. [6], Several companies responded to the DIVADs contest.[13]. Technicians worked on the problem, and the system was restarted. Technicians worked on the problem, and the system was restarted. In addition to all-weather capability, it also needed to have optical aiming capabilities, including a FLIR and laser rangefinder. [2], The first proposed replacement for the Duster was the Sperry Vigilante, which referred to the six-barreled 37 mm Gatling gun proposed as the basis for a new SPAAG. The limited effectiveness of the Vulcan/Chaparral was not the only problem the US Army was facing in the late 1970s. They would then "pop up", launch a missile, and return to cover as soon as the missile hit its target. This page was last edited on 1 April 2021, at 12:09. York-page contains all related products, articles, books, walkarounds and plastic scale modeling projects dedicated to this vehicle. "[6][21] They measured the availability of the system at 33%, as opposed to the required 90%. The M247 Sergeant York DIVAD (Division Air Defense) was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), developed by Ford Aerospace in the late 1970s. Raytheon demonstrated that the turret, although designed for the Leopard 1, could be mounted on the M48 with some adaptation. It included a single search/track radar adapted from the earlier FAAR, although they later suggested an improved system. Das Fahrzeug sollte den veralteten M163 Vulcan-Flugabwehrpanzer ersetzen, was aber aufgrund von massiven technischen Problemen nicht gelang.. Das Fahrzeug wurde nach dem US-amerikanischen Kriegshelden des Ersten Weltkrieges, Alvin C. York, benannt. Based on the M48 Patton tank, it replaced the Patton's turret with a new one that featured twin radar-directed 40 mm rapid-fire guns. At the time they were also in the process of introducing the new M1 Abrams and M2 Bradley vehicles, which had dramatically improved cross-country performance. [16] Contrary to the Army's earlier reports, OT&E Director Jack Krings said the tests showed, "the SGT YORK was not operationally effective in adequately protecting friendly forces during simulated combat, even though its inherent capabilities provided improvement over the current [General Electric] Vulcan gun system. The first effective SPAAG in U.S. Army service was the all-manual M19 Gun Motor Carriage, based on the chassis of the M24 Chaffee. Nowy pojazd miał zastąpić pojazdy M163 Vulcan oraz M48 Chapparal. However, the rest of the military establishment disapproved of the idea; even the US Air Force was able to carry out only limited operations in bad weather, and the Soviets had a considerably less capable force in this regard. "[20] He later stated that the “gun still had problems with software and electronic countermeasures, but my sensing was that it was certainly no worse than many weapon systems at this period in their gestation.”[12], In spite of the bad press and development problems, the Army continued to press for the system's deployment as they had no other system in the pipeline to replace it. At one point the Army started to become concerned about developments in sensor technologies that would allow attacks by fixed-wing aircraft at night or in bad weather. Each magazine assembled in the tank only needed three sensors to tell the tank how much ammo it had of each type. Mauler featured a completely automatic fire control system, with the operators simply selecting targets and pressing "OK". Some critics claim that Ford's use of the 40 mm Bofors appears to have been a business decision, not a technical one. Colonel Parker unveiled the DIVAD plan to 49 industry representatives on 18 May 1977. DIVAD called for the gun to acquire a target and start firing within five seconds (later extended to eight) of it becoming visible or coming into its 3,000 m range, and had to have a 50% chance of hitting a target with a 30-round burst. Finally, the Soviets were widely introducing the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka", which was cause for some concern after it appeared in the Middle East. Sperry Rand entered a system based on their older Vigilante gun, modified to fire the 35 mm round from the Oerlikon KDA series, widely used in NATO in the anti-aircraft role. The M247 Sergeant York DIVAD (Division Air Defense) was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), developed by Ford Aerospace in the late 1970s. [6], Several companies responded to the DIVADs contest.[13]. While capable for the era it was designed in, by the time it reached widespread service in the late 1950s it was clear that it was ineffective against high-speed jet-powered targets. 1:35. The Fan had two parallel levels. In February 1982 the prototype was demonstrated for a group of US and British officers at Fort Bliss, along with members of Congress and other VIPs. The M247 Sergeant York was officially designated as a “self-propelled anti-aircraft gun” but was for all intents and purposes a tank chassis with anti-aircraft guns attached to the top. York dal nome di un eroe americano della prima guerra mondiale, fu un semovente antiaereo sviluppato dalla ditta statunitense Ford Aerospace alla fine degli anni settanta del XX secolo.Basato sullo scafo del carro da battaglia Chrysler M48A5 Patton, montava una nuova torretta costruita dalla Ford Aerospace and … [15], Ford's prototype vehicle started demonstrating problems almost immediately. While the 35 mm round was already a widely accepted NATO standard and was technically well respected, Ford had a marketing agreement with Bofors. [19] One of the early models was reported to have locked onto a latrine fan, mistaking its return for a moving target of low-priority. On schedule, both companies delivered their prototypes to the North McGregor Test Facility and head-to-head testing began. These factors would be important in the primary scenario for which the DIVAD was to be deployed, that being the large-theater land operations vs the Warsaw Pact. Le M247 Sergeant York est un projet de véhicule d'artillerie sol-air destiné à la lutte anti-aérienne, développé dans les années 1970 pour l'armée américaine par Ford Aerospace (en).Basé sur le M48 Patton, il comporte un radar bipolaire et des canons automatiques Bofors 40 mm à la place de sa tourelle. They developed a requirement for a weapon system able to operate using FLIR and a laser rangefinder in order to counter these threats. "[21] He later stated that the "gun still had problems with software and electronic countermeasures, but my sensing was that it was certainly no worse than many weapon systems at this period in their gestation". When the guns were pointed upward to fire on high-angle targets, the barrels projected into the radar's line of sight and further confused the system. In addition, FACC had developed a proximity-sensing round for the 40 mm, which increased probability of a kill, and the shell carried either a greater explosive charge or higher deadweight mass than the smaller anti-aircraft platforms. [21] He said, "the tests demonstrated that while there are marginal improvements that can be made in the York gun, they are not worth the additional cost-so we will not invest any more funds in the system. Loading rounds into the magazine system was from the top of the turret, a hatch opened and a loading rack was attached and the classic four round stripper clips of 40mm were loaded as fast as troops could relay them up. VADS was intended to operate in concert with the MIM-72 Chaparral, which combined the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile with a more heavily modified version of the M113 chassis.[5]. [10] The Shilka proved that a modern SPAAG was effective against modern aircraft. The upper was feed from the upper magazine with an integrated articulating arm, and the lower was feed by the Elevator that was responsible for moving the rounds up, and at the same time outboard, far enough to match the Fan’s attachment. The M247 Sgt. While firing the driver needed to be sealed in his hatch for safety. designed in the late 1970's as a purpose-built SPAAG. PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE OPENING A CASE AS WE WILL ENDEAVOUR TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. Vehicle has a crew of three, including commander, gunner and driver. The testers then started adding radar reflectors to the drone to address this "problem", eventually having to add four. Most of the turret remained the same as the original Gepard, including the twin 35 mm Oerlikon KDA cannons, but used Hollandse Signaalapparaten radars and an Oerlikon Contraves fire-control computer. M247 SERGEANT YORK AA PLATOON . Against these aircraft, the Vulcan/Chaparral combination was effectively useless.[8]. The idea gained little traction and died.[6]. Unable to hit drones moving even in a straight line, the tests were later relaxed to hovering ones. The aluminium turret was topped by two radars and an IFF system, all from Sperry. When the computer was activated, it immediately started aiming the guns at the review stands, causing several minor injuries as members of the group jumped for cover. Colonel Russell Parker testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 1977 that "We expect this somewhat unorthodox approach to permit a much reduced development time, thus resulting in an earliest fielding date, albeit with higher but acceptable risks... the manufacturer will be required by the fixed price warranty provisions, to correct deficiencies. Alvin C. York State Historic Park in Pall Mall, TN where its namesake hailed from, another is located at the AAF Museum in Danville, VA and one at the Fort Snelling Military Museum in Minneapolis, MN (now closed). Its armored hull provides protection against small caliber armor-piercing projectiles, however turret protection is only against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. As Washington became increasingly fed up with the DIVAD's problems, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger ordered a $54 million series of battlefield-condition tests. The turret also included independently stabilized optical sights and a laser range finder for manual engagements. The SGT YORK was not operationally suitable because of its low availability during the tests. Ideas. While the Chaparral had enough range to engage the "Hind", its lengthy lock-on period meant the Hind would have hit its target and hidden behind terrain again before the Sidewinder would reach it. In testing, it was unable to distinguish between helicopters and trees. The used guns taken from U.S. Army stock were in twisted condition due to careless warehousing. More about the M247 Sgt. In addition, FACC had developed a proximity-sensing round for the 40 mm, which increased probability of a kill, and the shell carried either a greater explosive charge or higher deadweight mass than the smaller anti-aircraft platforms.