The M42 40 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, or "Duster," is an American armored light air-defense gun built for the United States Army from 1952 until December 1960, in service until 1988. Production of this vehicle was performed by the …

The 40mm guns were clip-fed and fired a four-round clip of either armor piercing or high explosive tracer rounds. Their rate of fire was 120 rounds per minute per barrel, or a total of 240 rounds per minute.

Positioned at either end of the airstrip with a company of entrenched Marines between them, the Dusters were greatly admired for the heavy firepower furnished by their twin-mounted 40mm Bofors guns. Geiger’s battery was augmented by four truck-mounted .50-calibre machine guns known as Quad-50s.

Oct 9, 2018 · The M42’s twin 40mm Bofors cannons fired two rounds per second each, delivering devastating firepower, and its single .30-caliber M1919A4 Browning machine gun or 7.62 mm M60 machine gun provided a close-in punch.

Feb 15, 2025 · Depending on which legend you believe, the Duster moniker came from either the cloud of dust while blazing down the dirt trails of Vietnam, or because of its 50-meter bursting-radius 40mm rounds that turned the enemy to dust.

Feb 12, 2021 · The gun’s 40mm shells—or over 1.5 inches—were more than large enough to penetrate the thick jungle foliage endemic to Vietnam, though there were reports that the shell’s sensitive point ...

Nov 23, 2021 · 11 M42s and five Quad-50s were involved in a rescue mission just before the Tet Offensive of 1968. Combined, these weapons fired 20,000 40 mm shells and nearly 30,000 .50 caliber rounds.

Immortalized in the Vietnam War for its tremendous firepower, the Duster was one of the US Marines and Army's great friend in the Jungle, cleaning up and effectively turning to dust any threat lurking into the green.

Oct 22, 2020 · The “Duster” was the popular nickname for the M42 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. This vehicle took a tried-and-true weapon system, the twin 40mm Bofors gun that was responsible for eliminating many enemy planes in World War II, and mated it with the chassis of the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank.

Feb 11, 2024 · New video on the 🇺🇸 M42 Duster, a twin 40mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. The video covers: Specifications of the M42 Duster SPAAG and how its units were organized in the 1950s and Vietnam.