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Encyclopedia > Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

20mm Oerlikon
Diametre: 20 mm
Mass of the system: 480 kg (without ammunition)
Elevation: -15° to + 90°
Maximum practical range:

2000 m against aerial targets Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Speed of the shell: 820 m/s
Rate of fire: 450 round/min

The design of the Oerlikon 20mm cannon, by Reinhold Becker dates back to 1914, and is still in use today, after having been used extensively during the Second World War. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...


History

The German Army was the first user, mounting it on its aircraft during the First World War. In 1919, the patent was transfered to Switzerland, and the production assumed by Semag, later bought by Werkzeug Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. Most of the main parties of the Second World War bought licenses to manufacture the cannon themselves. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...


In 1935, the cannon was adapted by Great Britain to be used for in the Royal Navy for the short-range anti-aircraft role. It came to be famous in this role, notably against Japanese kamikaze attacks during the Pacific War. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... A kamikaze, a Mitsubishi Zero in this case, about to hit the USS Missouri. ... The Pacific War, which is known in Japan as the Greater East Asia War and in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (kang-Ri zhanzheng, literally Resist Japan War), occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in Asia. ...


It is still in use today on some naval units, theorically as a last-recourse anti-air weapon, but mainly used for police shots (warning shots or incapaciting shots). A warning shot is a harmless artillery shot intended to call attention. ...


Description

The Oerlikon 20mm cannon is a monotube cannon with a large coil around it. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...


In its naval version, it is fixed on a mount, and protected by two pieces of armour. The cannon is manned by the gunner (who aims and fires the piece), the piece chief (designating objectives) and the feeder (bringng fresh ammunition).


The gun is namoeuvered by the body of the gunner, who is attached to the weapon. The fire is directed through an optical visor used on the Bofors 40 mm gun as well. 40 mm Bofors Polish-made Bofors gun after the Battle of Bzura The Bofors 40 mm gun is a famous autocannon designed by the Swedish firm of Bofors. ...


The feeding is done through a cylindrical magasine on the top of the gun. A trigger in the right-hand cross commands the fire. After a shot, discarded cartridges are ejected under the weapon.


See Also


  Results from FactBites:
 
20 mm modèle F2 gun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (267 words)
The 20 mm modèle F2 gun is a naval defence weapon in usage in the French Navy.
The need for a newer 20 mm defence cannon than the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon began to grow notable in the 80s.
The companies DCN and GIAT associated to design the F2 20 mm cannon, essentially a navalised version of the M693 gun used by the French Army, and sold in exportation.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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