Anti-Aircraft Tank M42F
US Anti-Aircraft Tank:
Gameplay Info
Cost: 800
Tech Level: Radar
Strength: 225
Armor: Heavy
Weapon: 2x 40mm M2A1
Range: Medium vs Ground and Air
Speed: Medium-Fast
Background Info
The American Anti-Aircraft Tank, known as the M42F officially or "Duster" by US troops, is the basic mobile AA platform of the United States Army and Marine Corps.
E model Dusters were first fielded in the Sino-American Conflict following the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, in 1952. Up against Yak prop planes and what the Americans claim were Soviet MiG Fighters, the Duster racked up the best record of any gun-based mobile AA weapon ever, with over 1000 kills confirmed. The E model had serious short-comings in having an open, manually operated turret and no guidance systems; it said that if Soviet MiG prototypes were present over the skies in China, they were certainly never shot down by unaided flak weapons.
In 1958, the F model Duster was introduced. This current model is equipped with a fully-enclosed turret that is controlled not by a gunner, but by a guidance system that tracks targets and requests the commander to pick which to engage.
While it seems ironic that a rapidly modernizing army would stick to a dated gun-based AA system, one must be aware of the way the US AA defense structure works: these gun systems are built to work in tandem with missile armed F4 Fighters and aid strategic aircraft defense systems like the "Nike" in dealing with close-in targets.
Field Report
>Clouds of Death: The Anti-Aircraft Tank is hardly a precision weapon in the anti-aircraft role. Despite stabilized guns and radar guidance, the "Duster" is likely to never hit its target directly, instead relying on a powerful enhanced-burst shrapnel shell. This makes the Duster best against helicopters, large formations of aircraft, and worst against lone jets.
>Ground Fire: The Duster is capable of engaging ground targets with its guns. In this role, it is more accurate and fires the same anti-materiel/personnel shrapnel shells as it does against aircraftThis makes it exceptionally lethal against infantry and light vehicles.
>Accessible: The M41 Light Tank the AA Tank is based on was built in huge numbers and the conversion process is relatively easy. Most of the costs come from the radar and computer systems that guide the weapons- which don't amount to much. This makes the Duster a go-to choice for US commanders, despite the disadvantages it implies, like relatively poor armor protection.
