The 20 mm modèle F2 gun is a naval defence weapon used by the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in th ...

. It was developed from the

GIAT Nexter Systems (formerly known as GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Roanne, Loire. Group organization The Nexter group is ...

M693, itself derived from

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 became ...

. It fires the same 20×139 mm round.

History

The need for a newer 20 mm defence cannon than the

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...

began to grow noticeably during the 1980s. The companies DCN and

were contracted to design the F2 20 mm cannon, essentially a navalised version of the M693 gun used by the French Army, and sold for export.

Description

The 20 mm F2 is a mounted monotube gun, with two 150-cartridge boxes on each side of the piece. An electrical control system allows for a choice of three modes of fire: single shot, eight-shot burst, or free fire. There is an electrical trigger in the right hand of the gunner. A manual selector allows the gunner to change the box feeding the weapon during the firing, making mixed firing available. After each shot, the empty cartridge is ejected from beneath the weapon. The gun is manoeuvred by the body of the gunner, who is attached to the weapon. Firing is guided through the same optical visor as used with the

Bofors 40 mm gun Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

and the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon.

Usage

The gun has been exported to Belgium (Tripartite-class minesweepers), Indonesia (Tripartite-class minesweepers), Malawi (''Kasunga''), Netherlands (Tripartite-class minesweepers), Pakistan (Tripartite-class minesweepers), and Saudi Arabia (NAJA 12 class). In the French Navy, they are used aboard: * * s * s * s * s * s * * * * * * *

References

External links

navweaps.com
20 mm artillery Autocannon Anti-aircraft guns of the Cold War Anti-aircraft guns of France Naval anti-aircraft guns Nexter Systems {{artillery-stub