Vickers K
| Vickers K | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| general information | |
| Military designation: | Gun, Machine, Vickers GO .303-inch. |
| Country of operation: | Great Britain |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Vickers-Armstrongs |
| Manufacturer country: | Great Britain |
| Production time: | since 1935 |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1016 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 8.9 kg |
| Barrel length : | 508 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | .303 British (7.7 × 56mm R) |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 60 or 100 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Drum magazine |
| Cadence : | 950 to 1050 rounds / min |
| Number of trains : | 5 |
| Twist : | right |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Vickers K was a machine gun from the British manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs for use as an on-board weapon in fighter aircraft .
technology
The origin of the weapon does not lie in the Vickers MG , which was developed on the basis of the Maxim MG as a water-cooled recoil loader . The Vickers K, on the other hand, is an air-cooled gas pressure charger , to distinguish this MG was also called VGO ( Vickers Gas Operated ) .
The design came from the French designer Adolphe Berthier. Vickers-Armstrongs bought the rights to it from him and first developed the infantry machine gun Vickers-Berthier from it, from which the VGO emerged in 1935 as an on-board weapon for aircraft. The ammunition was fed from above from a spring-operated drum. The K gun has been optimized to a high rate of fire back and reached a cadence of 1,000 rounds per minute.
The projectile effectiveness was soon insufficient for aerial combat, even as a defensive weapon in the rear. With the availability of hydraulically operated on-board weapons, the Royal Air Force gave its stocks to the land forces. There they found a new use on mountaineering vehicles on off-road vehicles. The machine gun proved itself particularly well in desert missions by mobile units such as the Long Range Desert Group or the Special Air Service . The last specimens in service with the army were taken out of service around 1965.
Use in aircraft
- Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
- Bristol Blenheim
- Bristol Beaufighter
- Fairey Battle
- Fairey Swordfish
- Handley Page Halifax
