M247 Sergeant York
The M247 Sergeant York DIVAD (Division Air Defense) was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), developed by Ford Aerospace in the late 1970s. Based on the M48 Patton tank, it replaced the Patton's turret with a new one that featured twin radar-directed Bofors 40 mm rapid-fire guns. The vehicle was named after Sergeant Alvin York, a famous World War I hero.
| M247 Sergeant York | |
|---|---|
An M247 Sergeant York on display at Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park, Tennessee. | |
| Type | Self-propelled antiaircraft gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ford Aerospace |
| Designed | 1977–1985 |
| Produced | 50 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 54.4 ton |
| Length | 7.67 m (25 ft 2 in) gun forward 6.42 m (21 ft 1 in) hull only |
| Width | 3.63 m |
| Height | 3.42 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Shell | 0.96 kg (projectile) |
| Caliber | 40 mm (1.57in) |
| Elevation | −5° to +85° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 600 rpm |
| Maximum firing range | 12.5 km |
Main armament | 2 × Bofors 40 mm L/70 (with 580 rounds) |
| Engine | Continental AVDS-1790-2D diesel 750 hp |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
Operational range | 500 km (310 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 48 km/h (road) |
The Sergeant York was intended to fight alongside the M1 Abrams and M2 Bradley in the U.S. Army, in a role similar to the Soviet ZSU-23-4 and German Flakpanzer Gepard. It would replace the M163 Vulcan Air Defense System SPAAG and MIM-72 Chaparral missile, ad hoc systems of limited performance that had been introduced when the more advanced MIM-46 Mauler missile failed to mature.
Despite the use of many off the shelf technologies that were intended to allow rapid and low-cost development, a series of technical problems and massive cost overruns resulted in the cancelation of the project in 1985.