Colt Mk 12
The Colt-Browning MK 12 was an American 20-mm automatic cannon , which in the United States Navy was widespread after the Second World War.
The Mk 12 was a further development of the Hispano-Suiza HS.404 automatic cannon , which was used in American and British fighter aircraft during the war. In contrast to the Hispano, the Mk 12 used lighter projectiles with an enlarged cartridge charge for a higher muzzle velocity and cadence at the expense of a low penetration rate. The Mk 12 was introduced in the US Navy and United States Marine Corps in the mid-1950s and replaced the M3 cannon, which largely corresponded to the Hispano-Suiza HS.404.
In service, the Mk 12 proved unsatisfactory. Despite the high muzzle velocity and rate of fire, the weapon was imprecise and at times unreliable. Most pilots of the F-8 Crusader in Vietnam appreciated the weapon, but the weapon blocked again and again, especially during vigorously flown air combat maneuvers.
Even so, the Mk 12 remained the standard weapon for combat aircraft with on-board weapons of the Navy and Marine Corps until the early 1960s. These were for example the F4D Skyray , F-3 Demon , A-4 Skyhawk , F-8 Crusader and A-7 Corsair II .
Despite being of the same caliber, the Mk 12 is not identical to the M39 used in the North American F-100 and McDonnell F-101 of the United States Air Force .
Technical specifications
- Type: single barrel machine gun
- Caliber: 20 mm × 110 USN (0.79 in)
- Function: gas pressure charger
- Length: N / A
- Weight (complete): 46 kg
- Rate of fire: 1000 rounds per minute
- Muzzle velocity: 1010 m / s
- Bullet weight: 110 g
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Skyhawk 20MM Cannon ( Memento from March 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive )