Made by the Aberdeen Proving Ground, this film gives a history of the development of the MIM-72A/M48 Chaparral as well as the M163 Vulcan Air Defesne system. The M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically or pneumatically driven, six-barrel, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon which fires 20 mm rounds at an extremely high rate (typically 6,000 rounds per minute). The M61 and its derivatives have been the principal cannon armament of United States military fixed-wing aircraft for fifty years.
The M163 Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS) is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) that was used by the United States Army. The M168 gun is a variant of the General Dynamics 20 mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon, the standard cannon in most U.S. combat aircraft since the 1960s, mounted on either an armored vehicle or a trailer.
Chaparral was an American self-propelled surface-to-air missile system based on the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile system. The launcher is based on the M113 family of vehicles. It entered service with the United States Army in 1969 and was phased out between 1990 and 1998. It was intended to be used along with the M163 Vulcan Air Defense System, the Vulcan covering short-range short-time engagements, and the Chaparral for longer range use.
The MIM-72A missile was based on the AIM-9D Sidewinder. The main difference is that to reduce drag only two of the fins on the MIM-72A have rollerons, the other two having been replaced by fixed thin fins. The MIM-72’s MK 50 solid-fuel rocket motor was essentially identical to the MK 36 MOD 5 used in the AIM-9D Sidewinder. The MIM-72 missile is launched from the M48 fire unit, consisting of a M730 tracked vehicle fitted with an M54 missile launcher capable of holding four missiles ready to fire. The M48 carries an additional eight missiles stowed.
The MIM-72A like the FIM-43 Redeye uses a first generation infra-red seeker, and can be fooled by flares and “hot brick” jammers, such as the L166 IRCM unit fitted to the Mi-24. Also the missile needs to be able to see the hot exhaust of an aircraft, making it a tail chase only missile. A similar B model for training was identical to the A model with the exception of a different warhead fuze.
The C version of the missile, from 1974, has an improved guidance section that gives the missile an all-aspect capability, as well as a new doppler radar fuze and an improved warhead. The fuze and warhead were adapted from the earlier Mauler program. C models were deployed between 1976 and 1981, reaching operational status in 1978. An experimental D model used the warhead from the C version with the seeker from the A model, but was not deployed.
The Chaparral system is manually fired by visually tracking the targets, slewing the missile carrier into the general direction, and waiting for the missile seekers to “lock on” to the target. It is not suitable for engaging helicopters “popping up” behind cover, for instance.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
