20mm Tarasque
National Defense days, Esplanade des Invalides, Paris, France, September 24-25, 2005
Type	Anti-Aircraft Gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	France
Specifications
Mass	Travel: 840 kg (1,850 lb) Combat: 650 kg (1,430 lb)
Length	Travel: 4.30 m (14 ft 1 in)
Barrel length	2.065 m (6 ft 9 in)
Width	Travel: 1.27 m (4 ft 2 in)
Height	Travel: 1.47 m (4 ft 10 in)
Crew	6
Shell	HE/I; 125 g (4.4 oz)
Caliber	20 mm (0.79 in)
Barrels	1
Action	Gas-operated reloading
Elevation	-8 degrees to +83
Traverse	360 degrees
Rate of fire	740 rpm (cyclic)
Muzzle velocity	1,050 m/s (3,400 ft/s)
Effective firing range	Horizontal: 2,500 m (8,200 ft) Vertical: 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Maximum firing range	Horizontal: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) Vertical: 4,500 m (14,800 ft)

The Tarasque Type 53 T2 is a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun adopted by the French Army. The Tarasque is based on the M693 F2 20 mm auto-cannon 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. ISBN 0-7607-1994-2.
• The Encyclopedia of World Military Weapons. 1988. ISBN 0-517-65341-9.