OOB12 (USA) - Unit 050 and 208 - M163 Vulcan

[Epoletov___SPR]

M163 "Vulcan" now in winSPMBT has Range=60 hex (3000 metres).

Link.

In reality Anti air range = 5249 ft. (1500 - 1600 metres = 30-32 hexes).
Ground target range - 3281 yards.

[Epoletov___SPR]

For support ground operations is available unit # 675
M163 CS "Vulcan"

[iCaMpWiThAWP]

Methinks it's range is the ground engagement, anyway, AA units never engage at full range

[DRG]

Originally Posted by iCaMpWiThAWP

Methinks it's range is the ground engagement, anyway, AA units never engage at full range

True but the max range is a factor on when it starts firing. There is already a "CS" version of the vulcan. I'll put this on the list to investigate

Don

[redcoat2]

An old copy of Jane’s Land-Based Air Defence has this to say about the weapon used by the M163:

The 20 mm six barrelled M168 cannon is a development of the weapon originally developed for aircraft and has two rates of fire, 1,000 and 3,000 rds/min. The original version fired up to 6,000 rds/min. The 1,000 rds/min rate is normally used in the ground role and the 3,000 rds/min rate in anti aircraft defence.

- maximum effective anti-aircraft range is 1,200 m
- ground range 3,000 m
- indirect fire range 4,500 m

Another point about the M163 Vulcan. There are three of them in the U.S. obat. Two of them (unit’s 208 and 675) are available up to 2020. Jane’s claims that the M163 was phased out of service by 1994.

Jane’s also claims that the M163 had the same armour as the M113A1 – which is one of the reasons why it was allegedly phased out. In the game it seems to have slightly better armour ratings. It looks like it may have more armour in photos, but this might be due to the extra buoyancy pods it had fitted to its sides.

[redcoat2]

P.S. After reading a bit more of Jane’s I found the following – which applies to units 208 and 675:

Product Improved Vulcan Air Defence System (PIVADS)

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products modified the fire-control system of the current Vulcan Air Defence System family and incorporated the ability to fire a new Mk 149 Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS) round, which increases the effective range of the system to 2,600 m. The fire-control improvements include replacing the disturbed line of sight currently used with a director sight to give a rate-aided tracking capability and linking a digital fire-control computer to the range-only radar for more accurate lead and superelevation commands to the cannon. The net result of the programme is to increase effectiveness while greatly simplifying the operation. The PIVADS programme is available in the form of modification kits for both the towed and self-propelled Vulcan air defence systems.

In September 1982, the US Army awarded the then Lockheed Electronics a contract for 285 kits for both the towed and self-propelled versions of the 20 mm Vulcan air defence systems, with first deliveries made in June 1984. These were installed on towed and self-propelled Vulcan air defence systems, with final deliveries in 1988.

In other words, the effective AA range of the 20 mm M168 cannon was increased to 2,600 m.

Sorry about the double post.