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Vickers S
The Vickers 40 mm Class S gun, also known simply as the "S gun", was a 40 mm (1.57 in) airborne autocannon designed by Vickers-Armstrongs for use as aircraft armament. It was primarily used during World War II by British aircraft to attack ground targets. It was largely replaced by the RP-3 rocket from 1943 on. Development The Vickers 40 mm Class S gun was developed in the late 1930s as defensive weapon for bomber aircraft. The ammunition was based on the 40x158R cartridge case of the 40 mm naval QF 2-pounder anti-aircraft gun (known as the "pom-pom"). The gun itself was derived from the Coventry Ordnance Works 37 mm gun which used a long-recoil operation to fire a projectile. The Vickers S was tested in a turret mounting on a Mark II Vickers Wellington; this was not adopted for service. In March 1941, researchers with the Fighter Interception Unit at RAF Tangmere fitted the fourth prototype Mk I Bristol Beaufighter night fighter with the Vicker ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire during the Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60 percent of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the campaign, and fought in all the major theatres of the Second World War. The Hurricane originated from discussions between RAF officials and aircraft designer Sir Sydney Camm about a proposed monoplane derivative of the Hawker Fury biplane in the early 1930s. Despite an institutional preference for biplanes and lack of interest by the Air Ministry, Hawker refined their monoplane proposal, incorporating several innovations which became critical to wartime fighter aircraft, including retractable landing gear and the more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The Air Ministry ordered Hawker's ''Int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiger I
The Tiger I () was a German heavy tank of World War II that operated beginning in 1942 in Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent heavy tank battalions. It gave the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle that mounted the 8.8 cm KwK 36 gun (derived from the 8.8 cm Flak 36). 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944. After August 1944, production of the Tiger I was phased out in favour of the Tiger II. While the Tiger I has been called an outstanding design for its time, it has also been called overengineered, using expensive materials and labour-intensive production methods. In the early period Tiger was prone to certain types of track failures and breakdowns and was in general limited in range by its high fuel consumption. It was expensive to maintain, but generally mechanically reliable. It was difficult to transport and vulnerable to immobilisation when mud, ice, and snow froze between its overlapping and interleaved ''Schacht ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rolls-Royce 40 Mm Cannon
The Rolls-Royce 40 mm Cannon was a project first proposed in late 1938 to produce a cannon for mounting in aircraft which could cause sufficient damage to bring down a large bomber. It was envisaged as a suitable weapon for destroying tanks from the air. Experimental versions of the cannon were produced, including some with a magazine or belt feed for the ammunition. Examples were fitted to a Bristol Beaufighter and Hawker Hurricane for testing, although never used in action. Development of the aircraft cannon to iron out problems came to an end in 1943 when the Air Ministry lost interest in it and had started to favor the RP-3 rocket projectile as its preferred aircraft anti-tank weapon. The gun was designed by Italian engineer Spirito Mario Viale at Littleover, Derby. The gun was tested on a small testing range at Sinfin near the Derby works without the usual precautions like red flags. Later trials were at an Army range at Manorbier of a gun mounted on a 30 cwt Morris ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
57 Mm Akan M/47
The Bofors 57 mm m/47 aircraft gun (Swedish: 57 mm automatkanon m/47, short 57 mm akan m/47) was a Swedish aircraft gun developed by Bofors AB for the T 18B, a Swedish torpedo bomber manufactured by SAAB. The designation "57 mm automatkanon m/47" is translated to "57 mm autocannon model 1947". It is referred to as the Bofors 57 mm type L50 by the manufacturer. It was an effective and modern weapon for its time, and was capable of firing through a full magazine smoothly due to its reliable design and the use of a powerful muzzle brake. The recoil could be felt by the pilot, but this didn't interfere with the pilot's aim, and the weapon was accurate up to . History Towards the end of the 1930s and into the early 1940s, the Swedish Air Force was looking for a new torpedo bomber, since they had not been able to acquire enough units of the previous model, the T 2. The Swedish Air Force then asked the Swedish airplane manufacturer Saab AB (formerly SAAB) to desi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NS-45
The Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 was an enlarged version of the Soviet Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 aircraft autocannon. It was evaluated for service on 44 Yakovlev Yak-9K aircraft during World War II, but proved to stress the airframes too much. The NS-45 was also mounted on the prototype Tupolev Tu-1 night fighter after the end of World War II. Design and development The NS-45 was created as a result of a July 1943 decision of the State Defense Committee to arm Soviet fighters with 45 mm autocannons. As with the 37 mm autocannons already installed in some Soviet and lend-lease single-engine fighters, the intended method of installation of the 45 mm gun was to have its barrel pass through the engine block and the empty propeller shaft, in this case that of the Yak-9. Consequently, the main difficulty in designing the 45 mm autocannon was the limitation imposed by the engine blocks available for this aircraft. Accounting for the diameter of the 45 mm shell, the Yak-9 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NS-37
The Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 (russian: Нудельман - Суранов НС-37) was a aircraft cannon, which replaced the unreliable Shpitalny Sh-37 gun. Large caliber was planned to allow destruction of both ground targets (including armoured ones) and planes (ability to shoot down a bomber with a single hit). Developed by A. E. Nudelman and A. Suranov from OKB-16 Construction Bureau from 1941, it was tested at the front in 1943 and subsequently ordered into production, which lasted until 1945. It was used on the LaGG-3 and Yak-9T fighter planes (mounted between the vee of the engine, in ''motornaya pushka'' mounts) and Il-2 ground attack planes (in underwing pods). Although the heavy round offered large firepower, the relatively low rate of fire and heavy recoil made hitting targets difficult. While pilots were trained to fire short bursts, on light aircraft only the first shot was truly aimed. Additionally, penetration of medium and heavy tanks' top armour was possible on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MK 214A
The MK 214A was a calibre auto-cannon designed by Mauser Werke AG, for use on Messerschmitt Me 262 and Me 410 bomber-destroyers. Intended for use on the Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a/U4, Mauser designed the MK 214, derived from the 5 cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun. Initial trials with the MK 214 revealed it to be over-complicated, so a refined version was developed as the MK 214A, flight tests of which were carried out from February 1945 by Karl Baur, but the weapon was not deployed operationally. A similar installation using the BK 5 cannon The Rheinmetall ''Bordkanone'' 5, or BK-5, was a WWII-era German 50 mm autocannon primarily intended for use against Allied heavy bombers, such as the United States Army Air Forces's (USAAF) Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The shells had a hi ... was also planned. References {{WWIIGermanAerialWeapons Autocannon Aircraft guns ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BK 5
The Rheinmetall ''Bordkanone'' 5, or BK-5, was a WWII-era German 50 mm autocannon primarily intended for use against Allied heavy bombers, such as the United States Army Air Forces's (USAAF) Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The shells had a high muzzle velocity and significant kinetic energy, allowing them to be fired from distances outside the range of the bombers defensive guns. The large explosive content of each shell almost ensured the destruction of any bomber that was hit. Rheinmetall was given a contract in 1943 to adapt the 50 mm 5 cm ''KwK'' 39 tank gun, from the Panzer III tank, for aerial use in the twin-engined Messerschmitt Me 410 ''Hornisse'' bomber destroyer. They were installed as ''Umrüst-Bausätze'' ("factory modification") 4 in the Me 410 A-1/U4, and, experimentally, in two Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a/U4 jet fighter prototypes (though these were not used operationally),Ziegler, Mano, "Me 262: Hitler's Jet Plane", Greenhill Books, London, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BK 3,7
The Bordkanone 3,7 (BK 3,7) ("on-board cannon 3.7") was a German anti-tank/bomber autocannon of World War II and based on the earlier 3.7 cm Flak 18 made by Rheinmetall. It was mounted on Luftwaffe aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 87 G-1 and G-2; Henschel Hs 129B-2/R3; Messerschmitt Bf 110G-2/R1-3; Junkers Ju 88P-2 or P-3 and others. The cannon could be attached under the wings or the fuselage of the aircraft as self-contained gun pods with 12-round magazines. It fired Armour Piercing Composite Rigid (APCR, Tungsten-cored) ammunition or high-explosive shells at 160 rounds per minute. Service history BK 3,7 equipped ground attack aircraft were developed for tank hunting on the Eastern Front in an effort to blunt the massive numerical superiority of the Soviet T-34 tank as the war turned against Germany. The concept was rather rudimentary, suffered from poor accuracy, severe weight penalty making the craft vulnerable to fighters, and low ammunition capacity; but could be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MK 103
The Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 ("MK" - '' Maschinenkanone'') was a German 30 mm caliber autocannon that was mounted in German combat aircraft during World War II. Intended to be a dual purpose weapon for anti-tank and air-to-air fighting, it was developed from the MK 101. Compared to the MK 101 it was faster firing, and was originally intended to develop a higher muzzle velocity than the MK 101. Unlike the MK 101, the MK 103 used a belt feed, allowing it to potentially carry a larger ammunition load. The MK 103 used electrically primed rather than percussion-primed ammunition. The operating mechanism differed from the recoil-operated MK 101 in that it used a combination of gas and recoil operation. After firing, gas pressure served to unlock the breech, while barrel recoil was used to cycle the action (eject spent cartridge and load a fresh one). Because of a combination of lower grade steels and lighter components, the mechanism of the MK 103 was not as strong as the MK 101. To coun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ho-401
Ho-401 was a Japanese aircraft autocannon that saw limited, if any, use during World War II. It was a large-caliber version of the 37 mm Ho-203 cannon. The cannon was used on the ground attack aircraft, Kawasaki Ki-102 The Kawasaki Ki-102 (Army Type 4 assault aircraft) was a Japanese warplane of World War II. It was a twin-engine, two-seat, long-range heavy fighter developed to replace the Ki-45 ''Toryu''. Three versions were planned: the Ki-102a day fighter, K .... Specifications *Caliber: 57 mm (2.25 in) *Ammunition: 57 x 121R (1,550 g) *Weight: 150 kg (330 lb) *Rate of fire: 80 rounds/min *Muzzle velocity: 495 m/s (1,624 ft/s) References The Pacific War Encyclopedia Aircraft guns Autocannon Machine guns of Japan 57 mm artillery {{Machinegun-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ho-203
Ho-203 was a Japanese autocannon that saw considerable use during World War II. It was a long-recoil automation of the Year 11 Type direct-fire infantry gun. It was fed by a 15-round closed-loop ammunition belt. It was operationally used only as the nose gun of the Kawasaki Ki-45-KAI heavy fighter, the anti-bomber workhorse of the Imperial Japanese Army, and tried out in the upper fuselage of the III-KAI variant of the Mitsubishi Ki-46 ''Dinah'' twin-engined warplane as a Japanese form of the Nazi ''Luftwaffe''s ''Schräge Musik'' upwards-aimed armament system for heavy fighters. Specifications *Caliber: 37 mm (1.45 in) *Ammunition: 37 x 112R (475 g) *Weight: 89 kg (196 lb) *Rate of fire: 120 rounds/min *Muzzle velocity: 570 m/s (1,870 ft/s) *Effective range: 900 m (2,950 ft). Similar ordnance designs * 37mm ''Bordkanone'' BK 3,7 (Nazi Germany) See also *Ho-5 cannon *MK 108 cannon *Ho-155 cannon * Ho-204 cannon *Ho-301 cannon *Ho-401 cannon Ho-401 was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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