M42 Duster
M42 in Yad La-Shiryon, Latrun, Israel
Type	Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	United States
Specifications
Weight	24.8 t (loaded)
Length	5.82 m (19 ft 1 in)
Width	3.23 m (10 ft 7 in)
Height	2.85 m (9 ft 4 in)
Crew	4–6
Armor	9–25 mm
Main armament	M2A1 40 mm twin anti-aircraft gun with 336 rounds
Secondary armament	1 × M1919A4 7.62 mm machine gun
Engine	6-cylinder air-cooled gasoline 500 hp (375 kW)
Power/weight	22.2 hp/t
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	160 km (99 mi)
Speed	72 km/h (45 mph)

 

USS Talbot County (LST-1153) offloads M42 Dusters of the 517th Artillery at the Río Hato training area in Panama during 1965 war games.

The M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster," is an armored light air-defense gun built for the U.S. Army from 1952 until December 1959. Production of this vehicle was performed by the tank division of the General Motors Corporation. It used components from the M41 light tank and was constructed of all welded steel.

A total of 3,700 M42s were built. The vehicle has a crew of six and weighs 22,500 kg (49,500 lb) fully loaded. Maximum speed is 45 mph with a range of 100 miles. Armament consists of fully automatic twin 40 mm M2A1 Bofors, with a rate of fire of 2x120 rounds per minute (rpm) and either a .30 caliber Browning M1919A4 or 7.62mm M60 machine gun. The 500 hp, six-cylinder, Continental (or Lycoming Engines), air-cooled, gasoline engine is located in the rear of the vehicle. It was driven by a cross-drive, 2-speed Allison transmission.

Although the M42 Duster was initially designed for an anti-aircraft role, it proved highly successful when used in the Vietnam War against unarmored ground forces.