Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Evening people! Today I wish to suggest an interesting addition to the game, a Anti-Air vehicle that requires extreme trigger discipline, as it only has up to 4 seconds of continuous firing time! Presenting the rival to the M-247 Sergeant York… The T-249 Vigilante, designed by Springfield Armory.
Basic Information
Designation: T-249
Role: Self-Propelled Anti-Air Gun
Crew: 3
Manufacturer: United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield, FMC Corporation, Sperry Corporation
Total built: 3
Time Built: 1956-1962
Specifications
Dimensions:
Length: [DATA UNKNOWN]
Width: 8 ft 10 in (2.68 m)
Height: [DATA UNKNOWN]
Driving Preformance (Some Specs of Standard M113:
Engine: Chrysler 75M V8 gasoline engine, 209 hp (156 kW)
Max Speed: 42 mph (68 km/h)
Max Range: 300 mi (480 km)
Total Weight: 9.2 tons
Armor:
** 5083 Aluminium Alloy 1.1–1.7 in (28–44 mm)
Armament:
1x 37 mm T250 Springfield Armory 6-Barrel Rotary Gun (192 rounds)
Additional Information:
Radar: Doppler-Pulse Search and Tracking
Usage in Battles
The Vigilante would require a skilled player to be effective, as at its gun’s max rpm of 3000 rpm along with its 192 round magazine would mean it would only have roughly 4 seconds of continuous fire. The Vigilante also has a 120 rpm firing mode for ground targets, so that could be used to better conserve ammo.
Pros:
Large Caliber for Gatling Gun
Great Volume of Fire
Cons:
runs through ammo extremely quickly
History
The T-249 Vigilante was a project ventured mainly by the Springfield Armory and assisted by the Sperry Company to serve as proposed replacement to the aging M42 Duster as part of the DIVAD program.
Springfield Armory worked to create the T-250, a 37 mm 6-barreled rotary cannon, the largest gatling gun ever built, and the Sperry Company, worked to join the gun to a modified M113, with a lengthened hull and special suspension-locking mechanism. 3 prototypes were produced in the late 1950’s.
The Vigilante saw testing will unsatisfactory results, due to the guns extreme recoil and an issue of ammunition detonating in the chamber after firing more than 48 rounds in succession, and in addition to this, due to the government’s belief at the time that the future of Anti-Air defense was heavily reliant on SAM’s, the T-249 project was abandoned. Sperry did attempt to revive the T-249, remembering it in 35mm NATO and mounting it onto a M48 chassis, however it to was abandoned, beaten by the M-247 Sergeant York.
Currently one last T-249 exists and is on display at the Fort Sill Museum.
A really obscure vehicle, and that 120 RPM firing mode, lol! This is definitely on my list of US vehicles I want to see, plus the rest of the vehicles from the SPAA program this came from.
The US needs this around 7.0 to 7.7 there is nothing till 8.3 but the Duster and 7.0 is a CAS nightmare for the US. Even the 5 cals are barely knocking birds down anymore.
I would love to see this in game, especially since the 4.0 to 7.7 gap of no anti-air vehicles in ground RB can be quite challenging far air defense (the largest gap in the entire game). However, I think that this should be at a lower BR than 7.7, seeing as there already is a 7.7 SPAAG, and thus I believe that the 50s version without the radar should be put somewhere in the middle, such as 6.3-6.7 to allow players the opportunity to play SPAAGs without using a 4.0 vehicle. However, by making it without radar it would not be so over powered as putting in a vehicle with radar at such a battle rating.
m163 has been used without radar equipped in real life (xm163 cs) and the radar could be removed from it and it could be moved down in br (6.3-7.0?) to make space for this at 7.7-8.0.
Additionally this would make the m163 play slightly differently from the israeli hovet = less direct copypaste experience beetween the trees.
Now that we have ammo boxes I think this could be added. It would be the Semovente 90/53 of SPAAs, sure, but a very interesting addition nontheless. At least make it folded with the M163, though, since it would be a very bad vehicle for the average player.
General stuff
Crew - 2 (“With the magazine loaded, only the vehicle driver and the weapon system operator may be accommodated during travel. An auxiliary vehicle is provided to carry the three additional crew members, the ammunition, and the supplies.”)
Weight (completely loaded without armor) - 25,369 lb
Height (to top of antenna) - 133 in.
Height (prepared for shipment) - 86 in.
Length - 192 in.
Width - 103 in.
Speed (maximum) - 33 mph
Shallow fording (without kit) - 42 in.
Deep fording (with kit) - No limit
Mount azimuth coverage (mils) - 6400
Gun elevation angle (mils) - -90/+1510
Mount azimuth angular velocity - 0 to 2040 mils/sec
Gun elevation angular velocity - 0 to 2040 mils/sec
Radar
Wavelength - approx. 10.5 cm
Frequency:
Prototypes - 2700-2900 mc
Production - 2400-2800 mc
Pulse width:
Search and acquisition - 15 usec
Track - 0.75 usec
Pulse repetition rate - 6667 pps
Maximum range:
Search - 15,750 meters
Track - 10,000 meters
Altitude - 3000 meters
Minimum range:
Search - 2250 meters
Track - 300 meters
Range accuracy:
Coarse - 2250 meters
Fine - 17 meters
Maximum range (target present position) - 10,000 meters
Day periscope (no night vision)
Periscope magnification/fov - 2.5x/23°
Periscope elevation coverage - -10°/+90°
Ammunition
Average muzzle velocity - 3000 fps
Length of complete cartridge - 15.6 in. (max)
Weight of complete cartridge - 3.25 lb
Length of projectile - 7.96 in. (max)
Projectile as-fired weight - 1.6 lb
Length of cartridge case - 8.6 in. (max)
Weight of propelling charge - 8 oz (approx)
Bourrelet diameter of shell - 1.156 in. (max)
Overall length of T231E4 fuze - 3.095 in.
Diameter of T231E4 fuze - 0.950 in. (max)
Overall length of T300 fuze - 1.125 in.
Diameter of T300 fuze - 1.344 in. (max)
Outside diameter of rotating band - 1.507 in. (max)
Outside diameter of cartridge case (base) - 2.158 in (max)
Other
Magazine capacity:
Normal (3 bursts) - 144 rds
Maximum (4 bursts) - 192 rd
Single burst - 48 rd
Rate of fire:
High - 3000 rd per min
Low - 120 rd per min
Effective range - 4100 meters
Recoil distance (maximum) - 1 in.
Counterrecoil distance (maximum) - 0.3 in.
This includes most WarThunder-related information. This document also contains detailed 3D drawings of the internal space and equipment.
Check the top of the picture :) (idk if you are joking or not hehe)
Couldn’t find it in the general details section, will check again tomorrow. I wonder if that 3km altitude is 15km away, or if it’s just some random limit. I actually don’t know how it works.
With radar M163 is fine at 7.3, without radar it could easily go to 6.7. It wouldn’t be nearly as good as the Kugelblitz, but beggars can’t be choosers.
