Difference between revisions of "M163"
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''--> | <!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''--> | ||
| − | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} American self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating | + | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} American self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]]. |
== General info == | == General info == | ||
=== Survivability and armour === | === Survivability and armour === | ||
| − | + | <!--Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? | |
| − | + | If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.--> | |
| + | |||
| + | Armor 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. | ||
=== Mobility === | === Mobility === | ||
| Line 19: | Line 21: | ||
{{main|M168 (20 mm)}} | {{main|M168 (20 mm)}} | ||
| − | A 20 mm VADS, or Vulcan air defence system. Used initially during the Vietnam war, | + | A 20 mm M168 VADS, or Vulcan air defence system. The M168 is a variant of the M61 cannon, which is represented in-game in the Japanese T-2, and the American F-4C Phantom. 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. |
== Usage in battles == | == Usage in battles == | ||
| − | + | <!--Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).--> | |
| + | |||
| + | 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 defense 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 targetting zone of the M163. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The M163 wields about 60 mm of penetration, and at the 8.0 battle rating, that's 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. | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[File:CIWS M163.jpg|thumb|An M163 firing at a FAB-5000, right before the bomb is hit and destroyed.]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Radars=== | ||
| + | {{main|AN/VPS-2}} | ||
| + | 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. | ||
| + | {{Notice|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.}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
| + | ! colspan="5" | [[AN/VPS-2]] - Tracking Radar | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | ! {{Annotation|Maximum<br/>Tracking<br/>Range|The maximum range at which a target can be tracked}} | ||
| + | ! {{Annotation|Minimum<br/>Tracking<br/>Range|The range below which targets cannot be tracked by the radar}} | ||
| + | ! {{Annotation|Azimuth Tracking<br/>Angle|How far to each side the radar can track a target}} | ||
| + | ! {{Annotation|Elevation Tracking<br/>Angle|How far up and down the radar can track a target}} | ||
| + | ! {{Annotation|Minimum<br/>target speed|The minimum speed a target must be moving, relative to the radar, in order to be tracked by the radar}} | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 7,000 m || 100 m || 360° || -20°/+85°<br />(lock between -20°/+20°) || 15 m/s (54 km/h) | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |} | ||
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
| − | <!-- | + | <!--Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".--> |
| − | --> | ||
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
| Line 33: | Line 60: | ||
* Good traverse, especially when fully upgraded | * Good traverse, especially when fully upgraded | ||
* Insane rate of fire of 3000 rpm; can literally shred incoming enemy aircraft. | * Insane rate of fire of 3000 rpm; can literally shred incoming enemy aircraft. | ||
| + | * Has a tracking radar | ||
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
| Line 42: | Line 70: | ||
* Inaccurate/wobbly in water | * Inaccurate/wobbly in water | ||
* One of the longest rearm/reload times in the game | * One of the longest rearm/reload times in the game | ||
| + | * No search radar | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
| − | The VADS was | + | <!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''--> |
| + | |||
| + | The VADS was used during the Vietnam war and onwards and was based on the chassis of the M113 armoured personnel carrier. NATO used it as an anti-aircraft gun platform. | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
| Line 50: | Line 81: | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
| − | ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' | + | <!--''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' |
| + | * ''reference to the series of the vehicles;'' | ||
| + | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''--> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Other vehicles based off the M113 platform: | ||
| − | * | + | * [[M113A1 (TOW)]] |
| − | * | + | * [[M901]] |
| + | * [[SIDAM 25]] | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
| − | + | <!--Paste links to sources and external resources, such as: | |
| + | * ''topic on the official game forum'' | ||
| + | * ''encyclopedia page on tank;'' | ||
| + | * ''other literature.''--> | ||
| − | * | + | * [https://weaponsystems.net/weaponsystem/EE03%20-%20M163%20Vulcan.html [Weapon Systems] M163 Vulcan] |
| − | |||
| − | |||
{{USA anti-aircraft vehicles}} | {{USA anti-aircraft vehicles}} | ||
Revision as of 15:20, 18 October 2019
Contents
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/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters".
General info
Survivability and armour
Armor 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.
Mobility
Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.
Armaments
Main armament
A 20 mm M168 VADS, or Vulcan air defence system. The M168 is a variant of the M61 cannon, which is represented in-game in the Japanese T-2, and the American F-4C Phantom. 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.
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 defense 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 targetting zone of the M163.
The M163 wields about 60 mm of penetration, and at the 8.0 battle rating, that's 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.
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 3000 rpm; can literally shred incoming enemy aircraft.
- Has a tracking radar
Cons:
- Light armour
- 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
History
The VADS was used during the Vietnam war and onwards and was based on the chassis of the M113 armoured personnel carrier. NATO used it as an anti-aircraft gun platform.
Media
An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.
See also
Other vehicles based off the M113 platform:
External links
- [Weapon Systems M163 Vulcan]
| 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 | Imp.Chaparral · LAV-AD · XM975 |
