M163

M163

M247

M163

M247

USA

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	7.3	7.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:95 000

Purchase:270 000

Show in game

Description

The Gun, Air Defence Artillery, Self-Propelled: 20-mm, M163 is a rank V American self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB) and 7.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull38 / 44 / 38

Turret17 / 17 / 17

Crew4 people

Visibility117 %

Armour is not on the operator's side in the M163, as it is thin enough to be destroyed by 12.7 mm machine guns from the sides and rear, and any cannon-sized armament from the front. The turret is partially open, leaving the crew vulnerable to enemy light arms fire. If attacked, the best bet for taking a hit and surviving is to point the engine towards the enemy and hope it absorbs the shot.

Armor Composition

• Aluminum Alloy 5083 - Main, Additional
• Structural Steel - Front and Rear Fenders
• Rubber-Fabric Screens - Fenders/Sideskirts
• Gun Steel - Launcher

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	38 mm (45°) Upper Glacis 38 mm (26°) Lower Glacis 29 mm (45°) Engine Maintenance Hatch	44 mm Upper 32 mm Lower	38 mm	38 mm
Turret	0-17 mm Turret Front 150 mm Gun Mantlet	17 mm	17 mm	0 mm
Additional Armor	6 mm Upper Glacis	6 mm Upper	N/A	N/A

Note: The additional armor does not fully cover the plate it is mounted to.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB70 / 17 km/h

RB and SB65 / 15 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight11.2 t

Engine power

AB404 hp

RB and SB212 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB36.1 hp/t

RB and SB18.9 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	70	17	11.2	301	404	26.88	36.07
Realistic	65	15		188	212	16.79	18.93

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 264 → 5 487

RB3 869 → 4 979

SB5 193 → 6 683

Total cost of modifications77 500

130 000

Talisman cost2 000

Crew training78 000

Experts270 000

Aces1 100

Research Aces670 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 180 / 240 %

190 / 190 / 190 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 4 000 Cost: 6 500 165 Suspension Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 150 Brake System Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 150 Filters Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 270 Transmission Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 360 Engine Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 360	Improved Parts Research: 2 600 Cost: 6 500 165 Improved FPE Research: 2 300 Cost: 5 800 150 Crew Replenishment Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 270	20mm_Vulcan_HEI_ammo_pack Research: 4 000 Cost: 6 500 165 Horizontal Drive Research: 4 000 Cost: 6 500 165 20mm_Vulcan_API_ammo_pack Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 150 Adjustment of Fire Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 150 Elevation Mechanism Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 270 Artillery Support Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 360

Armaments

Main armament

20 mm M168 cannon

Ammunition2 200 rounds

Belt capacity1 100 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

26.0 → 20.0 s

Fire rate3 000 shots/min

Vertical guidance-5° / 80°

The M163 is equipped with a 20 mm M168 VADS, or Vulcan air defence system. The M168 is a variant of the M61 cannon, which can be found in-game on vehicles such as the Japanese T-2, and the American F-4C Phantom II. Used initially during the Vietnam war, the M168 was a 20 mm air-cooled rotary cannon attached to a small turret on the M163. Dangerous to anything in the sky, it will lock on and rip through anything in its path.

20 mm M168						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	2,200 (1,100)	3,000	-5°/+80°	±180°	N/A	66.05	91.41	111.00	122.80	130.59	26.00	23.00	21.20	20.00
Realistic						44.63	52.50	63.75	70.50	75.00

Ammunition

• Default: AP-I · HEI-T · AP-I
• HEI-T: HEI-T · HEI-T · HEI-T · AP-I
• AP-I: AP-I · AP-I · AP-I · HEI-T

Penetration statistics
Belt	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Default	53	50	39	28	20	14
HEI-T	53	50	39	28	20	14
AP-I	53	50	39	28	20	14

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M163

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
2 belts	1 (+1)	0 (+2)	No

Usage in battles

The M163 has an amazing rate of fire with the M168 gun, thus it has amazing damage output. In an anti-aircraft role, it is best used as a point-defence SPAA, defending a group of allies/cap zone from air attack. Its range isn't as good as the M247, so it's best to keep in mind the approximate 1 km targeting zone of the M163.

The M163 wields about 60 mm of penetration, which is enough to mortally wound/destroy many Axis-country's vehicles such as the Leopard, AUBL, and Centauro.

The high rate of fire also allows the M163 a sort of CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) type of role, as it can easily spray in the direction of an incoming bomb, thus destroying it and saving nearby allies. This is especially easy against the infamous FAB-5000 bomb from the Russian Pe-8, as the bomb is large and easy to track.

An M163 firing at a FAB-5000, right before the bomb is hit and destroyed.

Radars

The M163 is equipped with an AN/VPS-2 tracking radar, with no search radar. The radar is fitted to the side of the turret.

In order to lock on you must be looking through your sight, position the crosshair over a target (within 7 km) and press the lock on key. The target must be within a 2° cone from the centre of the crosshair.

AN/VPS-2 - Tracking Radar
Maximum Tracking Range	Minimum Tracking Range	Azimuth Tracking Angle	Elevation Tracking Angle	Minimum target speed
7,000 m	100 m	360°	-20°/+85° (lock between -20°/+20°)	15 m/s (54 km/h)

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Amphibious
• Quick acceleration
• Good traverse, especially when fully upgraded
• Insane rate of fire of 3,000 rpm; can literally shred incoming enemy aircraft, AP rounds are dangerous against lightly armoured vehicles
• Has a tracking radar
• Can double as a CIWS (close-in weapon system): it can shred bombs, rockets and incoming missiles as a last resort defence

Cons:

• Light armour
• Top speed of 32 km/h off-road when stock
• Not keen to climbing hills until performance modules are equipped
• Relatively slow for the rank
• Slow in water
• Inaccurate/wobbly in water
• One of the longest rearm/reload times in the game
• No search radar
• Effective range is not good for a rank V SPAA
• Inaccurate while approaching far targets
• The M113 chassis has low mobility due to a low hp/ton ratio

History

The M163 VADS (Vulcan Air Defense System) was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) based on the chassis of the M113 armored personnel carrier (APC). It was nearly unmodified from the base M113, and featured the same armor scheme, rear loading ramp, and the General Motors 6V53 series 6-cylinder 2-cycle diesel engine (212 hp). An open-topped turret was fitted to the center of the roof of the vehicle, and an M61 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon was mounted in the turret. The gun could fire at 3,000 rpm or 1,000 rpm, and the elevation was from -5° to +80°. The M163 was operated by a crew of four, and there was a wide variety of ammunition for the main gun. A tracking radar was fitted to the turret to improve the chances of destroying an enemy aircraft, but the anti-aircraft ability of the M163 was limited and it was only useful against low-flying aircraft within 5 kilometers, and the chances of destroying the aircraft were best within 1 kilometer.

The M163 entered service with the United States Army in 1969, but at least six vehicles were sent to the Vietnam War before the type had entered service. The vehicles sent to South Vietnam were not fitted with the tracking radar, and they were used mostly in an infantry support role. The M163 was later upgraded to the M163A1 and A2 standards. The M163A1 had an improved gun mount, and the M163A2 featured the improved M113A2 powerplant. The M163 PIVADS (Product Improved Vulcan Air Defense System) upgrade was introduced in 1984. The PIVADS upgrade featured improved radar and accuracy of the gun, and it also introduced armor-piercing capabilities with an APDS round. Over time, the M163 began to be used more in an infantry support role, as surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems became more common. It notably served during the First Gulf War. The M163 was retired from US Army service in 1993.

The M163 was also used by a number of other nations. These include Albania, Chile, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Portugal, South Korea, Thailand, and Tunisia. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) upgraded a number of M163 vehicles with a launcher for 4 x FIM-92 Stinger SAMs, and these were called the Machbet. The IDF also upgraded their vehicles with improved electronics. The M163 is still in service with a number of the nations listed above.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M163 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Amphibious tanks discusses the M163 at 1:43 - War Thunder Official Channel

M163 Tank Review - NUSensei

The Shooting Range #18 - Metal Beasts section at 00:45 discusses the M163.

See also

Other vehicles based off the M113 platform:

• M113A1 (TOW)
• M901
• SIDAM 25

External links

• [Wikipedia] M163 VADS
• [Weapon Systems] M163 Vulcan

Bibliography

• M163 VADS. (2020, 13 June). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M163_VADS&oldid=962270535
• M163 Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS). (2019, July 2). Military Factory. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=141.

USA anti-aircraft vehicles
M3 Half-track derivatives	M13 MGMC · M15 CGMC · M16 MGMC
M24 derivative	M19A1
M41 derivative	M42
Radar SPAAG	M163 · M247
Missile SPAA	ADATS · Imp.Chaparral · LAV-AD · XM975