Imp.Chaparral

This page is about the US SPAA Imp.Chaparral. For the other version, see Imp.Chaparral (Israel).

Imp.Chaparral

Imp.Chaparral

Description

The Chaparral was an SPAA used by the United States between 1969 and the early 2000s. It was a cheap way to adapt an already existing and trusted platform like the M113 to provide close- to medium-range air defence. For this, the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile was used, with different seekers and engines being installed over the years in order to provide better target acquisition, range, and reliability. The Chaparral also saw medium success in international markets, serving with Ecuador, Chile, Egypt, Morocco, Taiwan, and Israel. Its only confirmed kill was a MiG-17 shot down by Israel over the Golan Heights.

Introduced in Update "Sons of Attila", the Chaparral comes with the benefit of using IR-guided missiles, these can be flared away with countermeasures and a couple of manoeuvres, but it makes it so that no radar is required, which means no ground clutter or lock warning for the pilots. Many jets at the BR lack countermeasures, so its most major opponents are modern ground attack aircraft like the A-10 and Su-25 that have armament capable of outranging the Chaparral and also have countermeasures. The other problem the Chaparral suffers is the lack of a gun; since it has no cannon or HMG, it is not able to shoot down helicopters or jets that are too close for the missile to get a lock.

General info

Survivability and armour

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	___ mm	___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom	___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Turret	___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Cupola	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade				206			__.__
Realistic				128			__.__

Armaments

Main armament

MIM-72 missile					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	12 (4)	-9°/+90°	±180°	-	79.3	109.7	133.2	147.3	156.7	19.50	17.25	15.90	15.00
Realistic					53.6	63.0	76.5	84.6	90.0

Ammunition

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Range (m)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Arming distance (m)	Trigger radius (m)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
										0%	50%	100%
MIM-72C	SAM	720	6,000	86.3	1	0.3	0	5	4.31	79°	80°	81°
MIM-72E	SAM	720	6,000	86.3	1	0.3	0	5	4.31	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
3	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• IRST tracking (undetected by RWR)
• Infrared missile guidance provides more stealthy attacks compared to missiles that rely on radar (fire and forget, no painting to alert enemy RWR)
• Harder-hitting and more manoeuvrable missiles compared to its successor LAV-AD
• Can perform scout functions for extra team assistance
• Thermal imaging to assist with target acquisition

Cons:

• Missile armament lacks IRCCM
• Absolutely no defensive armament, strictly anti-air
• No armour
• Lacks search radar (must rely on visual and sound to find enemies)

History

MIM-72 Chaparral at Redstone Arsenal

The Chaparral was an anti-aircraft system developed by the United States during the 1960s to offer short-range air defence capabilities to soldiers and armoured units. The Chaparral employs variants of the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile instead of traditional radar-guided missiles and it was meant to be used together with the M163 VADS.

The Chaparral's predecessor was the Mauler, developed during the Advanced Air Defence Program and using the MIM-46 Mauler missile. It was equipped with a total of 9 missiles and no gun, the system was mounted in the M113 chassis and also had 2 radars available. The Mauler was abandoned in 1963 after many problems were discovered with the system, but many of its characteristics were inherited by the Chaparral.

For example, the attempts to modify the M113 to add an SPAA system to it continued in the following years, with the MIM-72 Chaparral going into service in 1969. The Chaparral was a cheap and quick solution to the lack of short-medium range air defence options in the army. This was result of the Provisional Advanced Air Defence program, that evaluated the AIM-9 missile as an option for ground-based AA platforms. However issues started to appear when it was evident that the AIM-9 would not have enough time to react if the enemy aircraft was too close, thus, an M113 was equipped with an M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannon and a radar was to be used in complement to the Chaparral. A separated radar set was developed to be used with both the Chaparral and Vulcan system, however this system is transported by a separate unarmed vehicle and was not suited for frontline combat.

Different versions of the Chaparral appeared in later years, especially during the 1970s and '80s. The Chaparral was seen as a cheap alternative for air defence platforms and was exported to several nations. Most upgrades consisted in improvements to the fire control system and armament, with better missiles adapted to be used in the Chaparral. All-aspect seekers were installed in 1974, and even a naval version was exported to Taiwan after not being of interest to the army.

The MIM-72D was an export variant with improved warhead, the MIM-72E was used during the 1970s and '80s and included a smokeless engine. The most modern variant was the MIM-72G, that used the seeker of the FIM-92 Stinger missile, with deliveries of this new version starting in 1982, and all missiles being modified with the new seeker. After 1981, the system started to be phased out from the regular army, but it was still used during the Gulf War. In the end, all systems were handed over to the US national guard.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Related development

• Imp.Chaparral (Israel)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

USA anti-aircraft vehicles
M3 Half-track derivatives	M13 MGMC · M15 CGMC · M16 MGMC
M24 derivative	M19A1
M41 derivative	M42
Radar SPAAG	M163 · M247
Missile SPAA	ADATS · Imp.Chaparral · LAV-AD · XM975