M42 Duster
After the Korean War, the US Army made the decision to retire the M24 Chaffee light tank, as it was considered obsolete, and replace it with the M41 Walker Bulldog. To preserve commonality of parts, all vehicles based on the M24 chassis were also retired, to be replaced by those based on the M41. The M19 antiaircraft vehicle was based on the M24, but it was a simple expedient to take the M19's turret and place it on a M41 chassis. The result was the M42, nicknamed "Duster" by its crews for what it would reduce targets to.
The M42, like the M19 before it, was equipped with twin Bofors 40mm cannon, which were devastating to low-flying aircraft. However, this was only true for propeller aircraft or helicopters, as the Duster lacked any sort of radar tracking system and could only engage visually; against a jet fighter, the Duster fired too slowly, assuming the crew could find the range. It was also an open-topped design, vulnerable to weather, radiation on a nuclear battlefield, and enemy infantry. As a result, by 1960, the US Army mostly retired the Duster in favor of missile systems.
When the US became involved in the Vietnam War, the Army rethought its decision: the North Vietnamese were known to use Antonov An-2 biplanes as bombers. While unlikely that the North Vietnamese would be able to bomb airfields and firebases in South Vietnam, the Korean War had taught the US Army the lesson that aerial harassment was an effective tactic. As a result, many M42s were returned to service and deployed to Vietnam. Though the aerial threat never materialized, it was already known that twin 40mm were devastating to infantry as well as aircraft. Dusters then served to protect bases from North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attacks. Though not as effective in the jungle (due to the vegetation tending to detonate the 40mm shells before they hit their targets), in clear fields of fire--such as those surrounding firebases--the M42 was deadly. It would serve to the end of the Vietnam War.
After Vietnam, the M42 was retired from US Army service in favor of the M163 Vulcan Air Defense System, but others would remain in the service of friendly nations into the 21st Century.
This M42 Duster is on display at the Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Museum in Lordsburg, New Mexico. It was formerly assigned to the 4th Battalion, 200th Antiaircraft Artillery Group (New Mexico National Guard). This unit was among the last Army units to operate the Duster, replacing their batteries with MIM-72 Chaparral SAM batteries in 1986. This particular M42 retains 1970s-era Army camouflage, along with flash suppressors on the 40mm cannon. The museum was closed by the time I passed through in June 2022, but I was able to get a decent picture all the same.
M42 Duster
After the Korean War, the US Army made the decision to retire the M24 Chaffee light tank, as it was considered obsolete, and replace it with the M41 Walker Bulldog. To preserve commonality of parts, all vehicles based on the M24 chassis were also retired, to be replaced by those based on the M41. The M19 antiaircraft vehicle was based on the M24, but it was a simple expedient to take the M19's turret and place it on a M41 chassis. The result was the M42, nicknamed "Duster" by its crews for what it would reduce targets to.
The M42, like the M19 before it, was equipped with twin Bofors 40mm cannon, which were devastating to low-flying aircraft. However, this was only true for propeller aircraft or helicopters, as the Duster lacked any sort of radar tracking system and could only engage visually; against a jet fighter, the Duster fired too slowly, assuming the crew could find the range. It was also an open-topped design, vulnerable to weather, radiation on a nuclear battlefield, and enemy infantry. As a result, by 1960, the US Army mostly retired the Duster in favor of missile systems.
When the US became involved in the Vietnam War, the Army rethought its decision: the North Vietnamese were known to use Antonov An-2 biplanes as bombers. While unlikely that the North Vietnamese would be able to bomb airfields and firebases in South Vietnam, the Korean War had taught the US Army the lesson that aerial harassment was an effective tactic. As a result, many M42s were returned to service and deployed to Vietnam. Though the aerial threat never materialized, it was already known that twin 40mm were devastating to infantry as well as aircraft. Dusters then served to protect bases from North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attacks. Though not as effective in the jungle (due to the vegetation tending to detonate the 40mm shells before they hit their targets), in clear fields of fire--such as those surrounding firebases--the M42 was deadly. It would serve to the end of the Vietnam War.
After Vietnam, the M42 was retired from US Army service in favor of the M163 Vulcan Air Defense System, but others would remain in the service of friendly nations into the 21st Century.
This M42 Duster is on display at the Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Museum in Lordsburg, New Mexico. It was formerly assigned to the 4th Battalion, 200th Antiaircraft Artillery Group (New Mexico National Guard). This unit was among the last Army units to operate the Duster, replacing their batteries with MIM-72 Chaparral SAM batteries in 1986. This particular M42 retains 1970s-era Army camouflage, along with flash suppressors on the 40mm cannon. The museum was closed by the time I passed through in June 2022, but I was able to get a decent picture all the same.