The Tarasque Type 53 T2 is a 20 mm
anti-aircraft gun
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
adopted by the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
. The Tarasque is based on the M693 F2 20 mm
auto-cannon
An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles (bulle ...
and mounted on a light two-wheeled trailer that can be towed by a jeep and brought into action in only 20 seconds. The Tarasque can be used against both aerial and ground targets and there is a 5× magnification telescopic sight for use against ground targets and a 1× magnification sight for anti-aircraft use. The Tarasque carriage is powered by an auxiliary hydraulic pump which provides power for both traverse and elevation. As a backup the Tarasque can also be powered manually if the hydraulic system fails.
References
*
Hogg, Ian. ''Twentieth-Century Artillery''. New York: Barnes & Nobles, 2000. .
* ''The Encyclopedia of World Military Weapons''. 1988. {{ISBN, 0-517-65341-9.
Anti-aircraft guns of France