Type 63 anti-aircraft gun

This article is about the SPAAG. For other uses, see Type 63.

Type 63
A Type 63 on display at the US Army Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
Type	Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Specifications
Weight	32 tonnes (35.2 tons)
Length	6.432 m (21 ft 1 in)
Width	2.99 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height	2.99 m (9 ft 10 in)
Crew	6

Armor	18-45 mm (0.7-1.8 in)
Main armament	twin Type 63 37 mm (1.45 in) anti-aircraft autocannons^[1]
Engine	12-cylinder turbocharged diesel 580 hp (432 kW)
Power/weight	18.1 hp/tonne (13.5 kW/tonne)
Suspension	Christie
Operational range	300 km (190 mi)^[1]
Speed	Road: 55 km/h (34 mph)

The Type 63 is a Chinese self-propelled anti-aircraft gun^[2]^[3] based on the Type 58 medium tank (itself a Chinese copy of the Soviet T-34/85).

Description

The Type 63 retains the hull from the Type 58 but the turret was replaced by an open-top box turret armed with twin Type 63 37mm anti-aircraft guns.^[1] The guns were loaded manually with 5-round clips. While the Type 63 was on par with contemporary anti-aircraft systems, such as the M42 Duster, due to the lack of hydraulic elevation systems, the guns had to be elevated manually. Because of this, the Type 63 was ineffective against fast moving, low flying aircraft. Nevertheless, due to its rate of fire, it was found to be an effective ground support weapon.

Service history

The Type 63 was supplied to the NVA by China during the Vietnam War. The NVA used it extensively in the Vietnam War but only a small number were available due to the lack of adequate anti-aircraft equipment. It remained in service with the post-war People's Army of Vietnam, as well as the PLA, until the late 1980s. At least one was captured by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the 1972 Easter Offensive.^[1]

Operators

Map with former Type 63 operators in red

Former operators

People's Republic of China - Small numbers until the 1980s.
North Vietnam - Passed on to unified Vietnam.
South Vietnam - A number captured from the Vietnamese People's Army.
Vietnam - Small numbers until the 1980s.

References

T-34 tank

T-34 variants SU-85 SU-100 SU-122 T-43 Type 63

Hogg, Ian (2000). Twentieth-Century Artillery. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. ISBN 1-58663-299-X
Dougherty, Martin J. (2007). The World's Worst Weapons. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-905704-36-1

External links

Type 63 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun System from Federation of American Scientists website

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