The 20 mm Becker was a German automatic cannon developed for aircraft use during World War I. It was first mass produced in 1916 and was installed in a variety of aircraft; the only German autocannon to actually see service in the air during the war. This article is becoming very long. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1916: Events January January 12 - German aces Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, with 8 kills, are the first pilots awarded with Pour le Mérite (the Blue Max) January 29 - the second and last Zeppelin raid on Paris inflicts 54 casualties. ...

Development commenced in 1913 and was therefore already advanced when the War Ministry issued a specification in June 1915 calling for an aircraft cannon of under 37 mm caliber and 70 kg weight capable of firing a 10-round burst. Tests commenced shortly thereafter with the weapon mounted in a Gotha G.I, but proved unsatisfactory. Despite this, the potential of the gun was such that the arsenal at Spandau was engaged to develop and fine-tune the design, leading to a production contract for 120 guns in June 1916. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1913: Events The Serbian air force is established as an army air service. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1915: Events January January 19 - First Zeppelin raid on the UK by the German Navy. ... The Gotha G series of bombers were the main German twin-engine bombers of World War I. Built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik, the first unsuccessful variant was the G.I. It had an unusual shape, with a fuselage upon the upper wing of the biplane, and only a small number were... For the 1980s New Wave group, see Spandau Ballet. ...

The main types to utilise the Becker were large aircraft - the Friedrichshafen G.III bomber and AEG G.IVk ground-attack machine. Tests in smaller, single-engined aircraft were not so successful, but were carried out extensively through the rest of the war, commencing with an Albatros J.I in December 1917. Due to the gun's operating principles, it could not be synchronised, and this posed an immediate problem for its installation in this type of plane. The solution adopted after the tests with the Albatros J.I was to fit it to fire downwards through the floor. Fitting the gun to a fighter with a pusher configuration was another obvious solution, and trials were carried out with an Albatros D.VI. Other intended installations were for an AGO C.I and the Hansa D.I, but these were not carried out before the Armistice. The AEG G.IV was a biplane bomber aircraft of World War I developed from the AEG G.III. The further refinements included in this version at last resulted in an aircraft that performed well enough for large-scale production. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1917: Events February No. ... Albatros D.VI was the designation given to a prototype single-seat twin-boom pusher biplane built in 1917. ...

Total production figures are not known, but were in excess of 539. A total of 362 were surrendered to the Allies.

The patent for the gun was bought by SEMAG in 1921, who continued development with a more powerful cartridge, and then by Oerlikon in 1924, who marketed improved versions as the Oerlikon F, L and R. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1921: Events Bessie Coleman attends flying school in France and became the first licensed African-American female pilot. ... Oerlikon has different meanings: Zürich Oerlikon: a quarter in the northern part of Zürich, Switzerland Oerlikon-Bührle: a company in Zürich, Switzerland that also owns Bally Shoes, Oerlikon Contraves, Pilatus Aircraft and Island Aircraft Oerlikon Contraves: a Swiss anti-aircraft artillery manufacturer founded in Zürich... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1924: Events January January 29 - Pateras Pesara flies an experimental helicopter in Paris. ...

Applications

• Friedrichshafen G.I
• AEG G.IV
• AEG J.II
• AGO S.I
• Albatros D.II
• Albatros D.VI
• Albatros J.I
• Caspar D.I
• LVG C.V

The AEG G.IV was a biplane bomber aircraft of World War I developed from the AEG G.III. The further refinements included in this version at last resulted in an aircraft that performed well enough for large-scale production. ... The AEG J.II was a biplane ground attack aircraft of 1918, a development of the AEG J.I with improved control surfaces. ... Albatros D.II The Albatros D.II was a German fighter airplane used during World War I. It was the successor to the Albatros D.I, designed by Thelen, Schubert and Gnädig in an attempt to rectify the D.Is poor visibility. ... Albatros D.VI was the designation given to a prototype single-seat twin-boom pusher biplane built in 1917. ...

References

• Grosz, P. "The 2 cm Becker Aircraft canon - development and use." Over the Front 7 (2).
• Williams, Anthony G. and Emmanuel Gustin. (2004) Flying Guns of World War I. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press.