Air Craft Armaments Questions

[muscogeemike]

The Japanese Arsenal thread started by Charles Bronson (there has to be a story behind that name) brings other armament questions to my mind.



I know the Brit’s had a .50 cal mg in production at the start of the war, and maybe a 15mm mg as well. I’ve read that they had a shortage of 20mm cannons (at least for a while) early in the war - did they try the heavier mg’s in aircraft?

I think I saw the answer to this question on another post but I can’t find it - why did the US continue to use .50 cal mg’s up to the Korean war? I can understand using them in WWII but I think the US is the only country to arm their post war jets with mg’s.

[davebender]

Anthony Williams has an excellent article about the failed U.S. attempt to make a reliable copy of the 20mm Hs.404 cannon.
Modifications and Attempts at Standardization

[oldcrowcv63]

It was cheaper? more rounds/firing time? That's all I can think of right now: I'm out of ammo.

late entry: Just did a little quick research and as I thought the first viable USN jets after the short lived McDonell Phantom FH-1 I all had 4 20 mm cannons.

[Juha]

I know the Brit’s had a .50 cal mg in production at the start of the war, and maybe a 15mm mg as well. I’ve read that they had a shortage of 20mm cannons (at least for a while) early in the war - did they try the heavier mg’s in aircraft?...

Vickers .5 Class C had rather low RoF, when RAF in 30s decided to standardize .303 as a/c armament, Vickers stopped the development of .5 HMG as a/c gun.

Juha

[fastmongrel]

Vickers .5 Class C had rather low RoF, when RAF in 30s decided to standardize .303 as a/c armament, Vickers stopped the development of .5 HMG as a/c gun.

Juha

The aircraft versions had a rof of 700 rpm. Not brilliant but better than a prewar M2 Browning.

[davparlr]

I think I saw the answer to this question on another post but I can’t find it - why did the US continue to use .50 cal mg’s up to the Korean war? I can understand using them in WWII but I think the US is the only country to arm their post war jets with mg’s.

A pretty good discussion can be found relating both sides of this argument. Most opinions on this are typically set but the discussions are pretty thorough. Toward the end, there is an argument on the F-86 usage of the 50 cals vs The F9F 20s.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/avi...aft-31037.html

[tyrodtom]

The aircraft versions had a rof of 700 rpm. Not brilliant but better than a prewar M2 Browning.

The .5 Vickers shot a different round than the .50 cal Browning, it had less than 2/3 the muzzle enegy of the Browning .50 cal.

[Shortround6]

The .5 Vickers round was used by the Italians and the Japanese army although with different bullets. There may have been a difference in the rim.

[fastmongrel]

The .5 Vickers shot a different round than the .50 cal Browning, it had less than 2/3 the muzzle enegy of the Browning .50 cal.

I know but it still fired faster than a prewar M2 which is all that was under discussion.

[fastmongrel]

The .5 Vickers round was used by the Italians and the Japanese army although with different bullets. There may have been a difference in the rim.

The original British Vicker C round was rimless. The export round was semi rimmed but was otherwise identical, in fact without a micrometer the 2 cases are almost impossible to tell apart.

[muscogeemike]

A pretty good discussion can be found relating both sides of this argument. Most opinions on this are typically set but the discussions are pretty thorough. Toward the end, there is an argument on the F-86 usage of the 50 cals vs The F9F 20s.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/avi...aft-31037.html

Thanks, this was the thread I wanted and couldn't find.