Archie to SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air ...

FROM GUNS TO MISSILES
weapon designated M163 (fig. 38). Deliveries of the Army version
began in 1968. In 1984, the ground service began to upgrade
many of these cannons in the Product Improved Vulcan Air
Defense System project that added a digital computer and
range-only radar. These modifications increased effectiveness
and simplified operations. Another improvement was new ammunition
(armor piercing discarding sabot) that increased
maximum effective antiaircraft range from 1,600 to 2,600
meters. The Army also fielded another version mounted on a
trailer (M167 Vulcan Air Defense System). 3
Army efforts to replace the Vulcan with a more advanced
gun system ended in disaster. The Army’s concern over the
Vulcan centered on its short range, its slow reaction times, and
the absence of both crew protection and the ability to distinguish
friend from foe. The success of the Soviet ZSU-23-4 23
mm guns mounted on a tank chassis in the Middle East wars
Figure 38. Vulcan M163. The Army mounted the 20 mm Vulcan gun with
radar guidance on an M163 armored personnel carrier. (Reprinted from
http://www.relli.com/weapons.htm.)
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