The Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 (short for ''MaschinenKanone 20 mm Rheinmetall'') is a

20 mm caliber 20 mm caliber is a specific size of popular autocannon ammunition. It is typically used to distinguish smaller-caliber weapons, commonly called "guns", from larger-caliber "cannons" (e.g. machine gun vs. autocannon). All 20 mm cartridges ha ...

autocannon 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 (bull ...

designed and produced by

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its shares are traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange. History Rheinmetall was founded in 1889. Banker and investor Lorenz Zuckermandel L ...

. It fires the 20×139mm ammunition originally developed for the

Hispano-Suiza HS.820 The HS.820 was a 20 mm caliber autocannon developed by Hispano-Suiza primarily for aircraft use, but more widely used in a series of ground-based anti-aircraft guns. After Oerlikon purchased Hispano's armaments division in 1970, the HS.820 becam ...

. The cannon is used on German military vehicles including the

Marder Marder may refer to: German military vehicles * A series of World War II tank destroyers: ** Marder I ** Marder II ** Marder III * Marder (IFV), a modern infantry fighting vehicle * Marder (submarine), a World War II midget submarine People with ...

infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forc ...

, the

Spähpanzer Luchs The Spähpanzer Luchs (English: Scout Armored Car "Lynx") is a German 8x8 amphibious reconnaissance armoured fighting vehicle (''Spähpanzer'') that was in service from 1975 to 2009 with the German Army, who used 408 in their armoured reconnais ...

and some variants of the

Wiesel AWC The Wiesel Armoured Weapons Carrier (AWC) is a German light air-transportable armoured fighting vehicle, more specifically a lightly armoured weapons carrier, produced by Rheinmetall. It is quite similar to historical scouting tankettes in size, ...

. It is also used in the Argentinian VCTP, an

IFV An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed For ...

based on the TAM chassis. A towed twin mount

antiaircraft 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, ...

version was also produced; it was used by Argentina in the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

. German naval ships also employed Rh 202 mounts (usually two on

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s and

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

s, four on larger replenishment ships), but they have been or are currently being replaced with the new

Mauser Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ("Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory"), was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German arme ...

(now a subsidiary of Rheinmetall)

MLG 27 The BK 27 (also BK27 or BK-27) (German abbreviation for ''Bordkanone'', "on-board cannon") is a caliber revolver cannon manufactured by Mauser (now part of Rheinmetall) of Germany. It was developed in the late 1960s for the MRCA (Multi Role Comba ...

remote-controlled guns of 27 mm calibre. A version modified to fire the U.S. M50 series of 20×102mm ammunition loaded into the M14 link belt has been offered to no avail for the

U.S. Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

by Maremont Corporation, of

Saco, Maine Saco is a city in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General ...

, licensed by Rheinmetall under marketing arrangement.German Machineguns
, MOR Associates, 1971, p. 168

20 mm twin anti-aircraft mount variant

Zwillingsflak twin-gun anti-aircraft system began development in 1968 to meet the requirements of the low-level air defence units of the German Air Force, i.e. "to engage low and very low approaching enemy aircraft with all appropriate means in time to prevent them from firing their weapons or delivering their

ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...

, or at least to prevent them from carrying out an accurate attack on an air force installation." The Budget Committee of the Bundestag approved the Zwillingsflak system in December 1969, and serial production began in 1972; the first production systems reached units of the Bundeswehr on October 12 of that year. Rheinmetall delivered the last of these in 1976. This gun was also used by the

Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falklan ...

, including during the

. Since 1981, it was used by the

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

and

Portuguese Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = 1 July , equipment = , equipment_label ...

Operators

* – A total of 15 Rh 202 used by the Argentine Air Force were captured in the Falklands Conflict by the British. 9 at Port Stanley Airport and 6 at Goose Green airfield * – 1015 ordered in 1969. Used between 1972 and 1992, twin model now withdrawn from service, but the single barrel version still is used, usually vehicle-mounted * – Some 326 used by the Hellenic Air Force * – Some 30 used by the Army * * * - Deployed on ''

Fiat CM6614 The Fiat CM6614 is a 4x4 wheeled armoured personnel carrier developed as a joint venture between Fiat and Oto Melara of Italy. The hull is welded steel, and the vehicle is amphibious. The first prototype was built in 1972. Description The C ...

''. * * - Deployed on ''

Thyssen Henschel UR-416 The Thyssen Henschel UR-416 is a German armoured personnel carrier, first introduced in 1969 and based on the body of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog light truck. Development In 1965 an armoured car version was designed based on a Unimog 4×4 truck chas ...

'' of the Saudi Special Security Force. * - Deployed on the naval ships '' SLNS Sayurala'' (2016), ''

SLNS Sindurala SLNS ''Sindurala'' () pennant number P624 (''Sindurala'', in English: Soft Waves) is an advanced offshore patrol vessel (AOPV) of the Sri Lanka Navy. It is the sister ship of . In February 2014 contract was signed by Government of Sri Lanka an ...

'' (2018) and on other vessels. * - Secondary armament on naval patrol vessels. * – Deployed on Marder 1A3 IFVs. *

Specifications

* Type: single-barrel

automatic 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 ( bu ...

* Caliber: 20 × 139 mm (0.79 in) * Operation: Gas-unlocked sliding breech block, blowback, recoiling base * Length: 2612 mm (8 ft 7 in) * Barrel length: 2002 mm * Rifling angle: 6° * Weight (complete): 75 kg (165 lb) single feed; 83 kg (183 lb) dual feed * Rate of fire: 880–1,000 rpm * Effective range: 2000 m * Max. range: 7000 m * Muzzle velocity: 1,050 to 1,150 m/s (3,440 to 3,770 ft/s) * Recoil force: 550–750 kg * Projectile weight: 134 g (0.3 lb) full calibre; 108 g APDS

Gallery

File:Luchs turret.JPEG, Turret of a

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

Luchs 2 armored reconnaissance vehicle showing Rh 202 as main armament. File:Wiesel120mm2.jpg, A

Wiesel AFV showing Rh 202 as main armament. File:Marder1A3.2.jpg, A

fires its Rh202 20 mm cannon on a training exercise. File:20 mm Twin Anti-Aircraft Cannon IWM 3.jpg, Argentine Rheinmetall 20 mm twin anti-aircraft cannon,

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

. File:Scale Rheinmetall 20 mm.JPG, Same gun, with a man nearby for a reference of scale. Markings "''

Fuerza Aérea Argentina "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falklan ...

''" ( en, Argentine Air Force) on the side. File:LÉ Róisin starboard 20 mm Rheinmetall Rh 202 Helsinki.JPG, Naval mount, Irish offshore patrol ship ''LÉ Róisín'' (P51). File:Rheinmetall Rh202 naval mount.jpg, Another version of naval mount, Indonesian frigate ''KRI'' ''Abdul Halim Perdanakusuma'' (355).

References

External links