Savin–Norov machine gun

The SN (Savin and Norov) was an aircraft machine gun manufactured in small numbers in the Soviet Union before World War II.

The gun was intended to achieve a higher rate of fire than the ShKAS, while using the same 7.62×54mmR cartridge. In order to achieve this goal, the barrel and bolt moved in opposite directions. Sources vary as to high a rate of fire was actually achieved. One indicates "more than 3600 RPM"On-line errata to the book ''Flying Guns World War II''
/ref> while others give the 2800–3000 RPM range.Широкорад А.Б. (2001) ''История авиационного вооружения'' Харвест (Shirokorad A.B. (2001) ''Istorya aviatsionnogo vooruzhenia'' Harvest. ) (''History of aircraft armament''), p. 73

The SN gun was designed in 1934-1935 by I.V. Savin (И.В. Савин) and A.K. Norov (А.К. Норов). According to a Western source, it was offered to the Soviet Air Forces, VVS, which rejected it in 1936. Soviet sources indicate that the SN machine gun was installed in the wings of three Polikarpov I-16 aircraft in January 1939; these planes were given the designation I-16 Type 19 and they took part in the Winter War. The gun was also supposed to be installed in a propeller-synchronized mounting in the I-16 Type 20. Although four planes were built in this configuration, they did not go into service; the Type 20 designation was then reused for I-16 aircraft only armed with ShKAS guns, but capable of carrying drop tanks. A further type I-16 Type 22 was planned to be armed with four propeller-synchronized guns, two of which were supposed to be SN guns (and the other two ShKAS), but this type was apparently never built and was cancelled in August 1939. As with the UltraShKAS, the reliability of the SN machine gun was low, so it did not go into mass production.

An SN exemplar could be seen (in 1996) at the Central Air Force Museum.

See also

*ShKAS machine gun
*SIBEMAS machine gun
*List of firearms
*List of Russian weaponry
*List of common World War II infantry weapons, List of common World War II weapons

References

External links

Exterior photo




Photo of mount in an I-16 wing

Medium machine guns
World War II machine guns
7.62×54mmR machine guns
Machine guns of the Soviet Union
Aircraft guns of the Soviet Union
Trial and research firearms of the Soviet Union
Abandoned military projects of the Soviet Union
Military equipment introduced in the 1930s

{{Machinegun-stub