This material completes the topic of cannon and machine gun armament of aircraft of the Second World War. And here there will be a zest, which just needs to be paid attention to readers. We discussed machine guns and heavy machine guns. We talked about the cannons that made up the main power of the aviation of that time. And now the time has come for guns, which could be called large-caliber, if not for one or two exceptions.
So - just guns from 30 to 40 mm.
What's interesting here? The most interesting thing is the list of producing countries. Yes, I even had to slightly stretch the owl on the globe to make everything look more or less decent.
What is the point: the fact that the countries that today call themselves "advanced" and "developed", some types of weapons simply could not be created. Including such guns. Italy, Great Britain, France - alas, the first two could not even be mastered by 20-mm cannons, and if the French could, it was only thanks to the developments wrested from Mark Birkigt from "Hispano-Suiza".
So take today's entire list for granted, and I'll say right away that yes, there was a carriage and a platform, but we (I emphasize in bold) are talking about those cannons that actually stood on airplanes, actually shot and actually hit the airplanes (and did not aircraft) of the enemy.
Therefore, excuse me, the list is not very long.
1.30-mm gun Type 5. Japan
1943 year. Not yet a dying convulsion, but everything is very bad and the air itself is needed as a means of fighting American aircraft in this very air. Powerful, capable of blowing to pieces the very "fortresses" and "super-fortresses" that slowly began to reach Japan and absolutely not quietly blow industry and bases into the smoke.
Nippon Special Steel and its leader, Dr. Masai Kawamura, were selected to be the savior of the situation. However, when choosing a company, the military leadership did not take into account that NSS was developing aviation equipment for land aviation. And we remember how the naval and army were "friends" against each other.
If the gentlemen of the naval (and even the army) leaders did not play an open fool, perhaps in 1944 the Americans would have had a hard time. But in 1942, when the tender was announced and played in August, there were virtually no installation requirements at all. Like "well, create something like that …"
But then it began, and within a year, additions and changes were poured into the project. It turned out that, in principle, in the manuals they know what they want.
The Japanese pilots, however, continued to go to feed the sharks, but who cares about this in the leadership …
In general, the constantly introduced (especially by the fleet) changes to the development requirements, of course, slowed down and slowed down strongly. Nevertheless, Kawamura in some incomprehensible way managed to satisfy all the bosses and the gun was adopted.
True, this happened only on April 13, 1945, when the map of the Japanese aviation was actually beaten.
The gun turned out to be very interesting and original, the main feature from other systems is precisely a completely Japanese design, and not copying. Structurally, however, there was some similarity with the English Hispano cannon, which, in turn, was a refinement of the Spanish-French-Swiss HS.404 cannon.
The same mixed type of automation, when the energy of the discharged gases unlocks the shutter, and a short rollback of the movable barrel with a shank moved the metal band, sent the cartridge and fired the next shot.
But then there were innovations of Dr. Kawamura, namely the principle of "floating shooting", when each subsequent shot was fired at a time when the movable barrel of the gun was still moving forward, returning after rolling back from the previous shot. This principle of operation of the gun made it possible to significantly reduce the recoil of the gun, and, accordingly, the power and dimensions of the rear buffer and the force of impact on the airframe design.
Kawamura went even further and developed a very effective muzzle brake that further reduced the recoil force. The rate of fire turned out to be a masterpiece, at the level of 500 rounds per minute.
In general, the gun came out just wonderful, light, fast-firing and with a powerful cartridge.
However, the de facto crumbling military system of Japan was no longer able to realize the advantages of the gun, although it began to be installed on aircraft before its official adoption into service from about January-February 1945.
But not very many aircraft were actually armed, mainly the P1Y2-S "Kyokko" and C6N1-S "Saiun" interceptors plus a small number of J2M "Raiden" fighters.
Work was also underway in the navy. But it really only came down to the J5N "Tenrai" twin-engined interceptor, which was supposed to carry a pair of 20mm Type 99 model guns and a pair of 30mm Type 5 cannons.
Six prototypes built underwent intensive tests in 1944-45, and even took part in battles, but for obvious reasons they did not go into the series.
2.37-mm gun Ho-204. Japan
Immediately kill the intrigue, before us is again a Browning machine gun of the 1921 model of the year. Why not? If, on the basis of this machine gun, the enterprising Japanese created both machine guns and a 20-mm cannon, why not go further?
Well, so they went, having received at the exit a cannon with the largest caliber based on a Browning machine gun.
This gun was never planned to be installed on single-engine fighters, it was supposed to be carried by attack aircraft or twin-engine interceptors. The cannon was quite heavy, although for its class 37-mm guns looked quite normal to itself.
It was for this model that the new 37x145 cartridge was developed. The cartridge was so-so as regards the mass of the projectile and its muzzle velocity. However, there was a twist: a very long barrel (1300 mm) was able to provide very good ballistics, which, together with a good rate of fire, made this gun a very effective means of destroying everything.
True, the No-204 suffered about the same fate as the "Type 5": the Japanese military factories were unable to produce the required number of guns and ensure the normal manufacturing quality.
The No-204 cannon officially entered service with the army aviation in September 1944, and even actually managed to fight. No-204 was installed on the Mitsubishi Ki-46 Otsu-Hei reconnaissance interceptor.
No-204 was located on it behind the cockpit at an angle of 70 degrees forward and upward and was supplemented by a pair of bow 20-mm No-5s. "Schräge Musik" in Japanese, the idea was clearly suggested by the German allies.
Another carrier of the No-204 cannon was the Kawasaki Ki-102 "Otsu" twin-engine attack aircraft, more precisely, its lightweight version, from which the 57-mm No-401 cannon was removed. The Ki-102 was originally intended for use as a submarine and boat hunter, but at the end of the war, hunters began to be converted into interceptors.
The gun was quite good. But the mess that accompanies the lost war, unfortunately for the Japanese, ended the history of this gun.
3.37 mm M4 cannon. USA
M4. Well, how can you pass by this weapon, which was glorified by Soviet pilots on the Airacobra?
This gun, like its two sisters (M9 and M10), was developed by the ingenious John Browning. True, he did not see the results of his work, but nevertheless, unlike much conceived by Browning, the guns came out very so-so. But we'll talk about the M4 as the one that “shot” the whole war.
Yes, the M4 was not a masterpiece, perhaps inferior to all colleagues from the Soviet Union, Germany, Japan and even Great Britain. However, in skillful hands, the cannon has become a good weapon.
Actually, John Browning assembled the first prototype of the 37 mm cannon back in 1921. To say that the designer was not satisfied with the work is to say nothing. The rate of fire of 150 rds / min with an initial projectile speed of 425 m / s was a real fiasco. The work was actually stopped, as interest in the gun disappeared. Everyone has.
In 1926, John Browning died. And almost 10 years later, in 1935, the military was again interested in a 37-mm cannon. Further development was undertaken by the Colt company, which in 1937 presented the T9 cannon to the court.
In September 1939, the gun was first tested in the air, being installed in the bow of the A-20A bomber. Later tests were continued on the P-38 and P-39 fighters, and by the end of 1939 the gun was put into service under the designation M4.
In general, the M4 and R-39 Airacobra were created for each other. Quite a peculiar (I would say - somewhat perverted) fighter and a gun to match it. But it was possible to assemble this not at all small weapon in the nose in front of the engine (the pilot actually sat on the cannon). Considering the M4 ring shop, this can be called a gift of fate.
The American pilots did not like the M4 at all. Mainly due to the low rate of fire and small ammunition load. The ballistics of the projectile flying out of the barrel at a speed of 550-600 m / s was depressing.
But there is a nuance here: the American concept of air combat assumed massive fire from 4-8 heavy machine guns at a distance of 400-500 meters. In general, the M4 didn’t fit in at all, therefore the Airacobra “didn’t come in” either.
But our pilots, who by 1942 were already accustomed to approaching German aircraft point-blank (100-120 m) and “hitting the rivets”, had such a weapon. Since the M4 projectile, hitting the target, was guaranteed to ruin any German aircraft.
The low rate of fire of the M4 was also not considered a critical drawback for our pilots, since the main thing was to aim well, which ours were quite capable of and did not rely on a fan of bullets.
In general, indeed, "what is good for a Russian …".
As I said, the main manufacturer of the M4 cannon during the war years was the Colt corporation, but then Oldsmobil was connected to production. In "The Sky of War" Pokryshkin just says that "the Oldsmobil cannon was very powerful, but not rapid-fire."
In general, the weapon was good only in straight arms, to which the head was also attached.
4.40-mm cannon Vickers Class S. Great Britain
This large and charismatic British cannon was created as part of a new concept where a target, be it an aircraft or a tank, would be hit by a single projectile.
Contracts for the development of such a gun were concluded with Rolls-Royce and Vickers Armstrongs. Vickers won the competition, albeit with a little help from the organizers. Nevertheless, in 1939-40, the gun was tested and put into service.
The cannon was first installed on Wellingtons, bombers that were supposed to fight, for example, enemy submarines.
When the war ceased to be "strange" and France surrendered, and the British were convinced of the capabilities of the Wehrmacht's tank units, the British War Department decided that the Vickers S could be used as an anti-tank weapon if the appropriate ammunition was created. can be used to combat tanks and armored vehicles.
A projectile was developed that, when hit, penetrates the frontal armor of a light German PzKw II tank. At the same time, they designed a setup that allowed the cannon to be installed under the wing of a fighter. The Hurricane and Mustang were used as a test platform.
But they began to install guns all the same on the Hurricanes. The aircraft was named Mk. IID. By the way, the usual reflex sight Mk. II was used for aiming, but for accurate aiming in a pair with cannons, two Browning 0.5 sighting machine guns with tracer cartridges were installed.
The baptism of fire of the Hurricane Mk. IID was adopted in North Africa, where, in general, the gun proved to be quite worthy. Tanks and lighter vehicles made their way quite successfully. In total, during the operations in Africa, 144 tanks were incapacitated with the help of 40-mm cannons, of which 47 were completely destroyed, and in addition more than 200 units of light armored vehicles.
However, rather heavy cannon installations reduced the top speed of the already not fast Hurricane by 64 km / h, which made the plane very easy prey for German fighters.
It is worth noting here that the Vickers S cannon was created primarily as an air combat weapon, and high-explosive fragmentation shells were initially used for firing. The armor-piercing projectile was created in fact after a real need arose for it.
In general, the gun turned out to be successful, but not without flaws. It was used mainly against lightly armored vehicles by pilots who had undergone special training. A small number of aircraft were equipped with cannons, since the cannon itself was fired by a very small number. The total number of released Class S is estimated at 500-600 units.
5. BK 3.7. Germany
A very interesting gun with Swiss roots. Roots is the Solothurn company, bought by the Rheinmetall concern in order to calmly, bypassing the Versailles agreements, create automatic weapons systems.
Initially, by the way, it was not intended for aviation, as can be seen from its name. VK is an abbreviation for "Bordkanonen", that is, "side cannon", while purely aircraft guns carried the abbreviation MK, that is, "Maschinenkanone".
And in such a tender alliance, the Germans and the Swiss developed more than a dozen artillery systems, including the simply excellent S10-100 anti-aircraft gun, an automatic 37-mm cannon. Which, by the way, sold very well around the world.
Who in Germany came up with the bright idea of installing an anti-aircraft gun on an airplane, we will never know. But - it came, and, moreover, was implemented in 1942. The initial desire is generally understandable: with the beginning of the war, it turned out that the Russians had more armored vehicles than expected, and the Wehrmacht's anti-tank weapons were somewhat more modest than it seemed before the war.
The first anti-aircraft guns converted into air guns appeared in the fall of 1942 and were installed on heavy fighters of the Bf-110G-2 / R1 version. This was a very original solution, since the gun was mounted under the fuselage in a fairing, but it was deployed in such a way that the rear gunner could change magazines through a special hatch cut in the floor.
In general, it did not work, because in order to install a heavy bandura (gun - 275 kg, suspension frame - 20 kg), both 20-mm standard armament cannons had to be removed. Ammunition was only 60 rounds in 10 clips.
VK 3.7 was installed on the same Bf-110G-2 in submodifications R1, R4, R5, as well as Bf-110G-4a / R1.
The decision is more than controversial, since the really large destructive force of the 37-mm projectile and the sighting range of up to 800 meters was not compensated by the huge mass and dimensions of the system and the low rate of fire.
On the one hand, VK 3.7 made it possible to attack enemy bombers outside the effective range of their defensive weapons and to destroy any aircraft with one hit. On the other hand, the already not particularly maneuverable and high-speed Bf-110s were destroyed by enemy fighters at once.
Therefore, these variants of interceptors did not receive distribution. Also, anti-tank "Junkers" in the Ju-88R-2 and P-3 versions, in which two VK 3.7 cannons were installed in the ventral gondola, did not gain popularity either. There is information that they tried to use these "Junkers" as heavy interceptors, but in this capacity they did not achieve success.
The third option for the use of the gun was attack aircraft.
Almost simultaneously with the anti-tank version of the Henschel Hs-129В-2 / R2 attack aircraft with 30 mm MK-103 cannons, an even more powerful anti-tank modification Hs-129В-2 / R3 with a 37 mm VK 3.7 cannon was launched.
At first it seemed that this was it, armor-piercing shells with a tungsten carbide core confidently hit almost all Soviet tanks in the upper projection, and God himself ordered the attack aircraft to be equipped with these guns.
However, the small ammunition load of the VK 3.7 and the low rate of fire of the cannon significantly reduced the effectiveness of the assault squadrons in theory, and in practice testing the Hs 129В-2 / R3, the VK 3.7 installation showed that the already difficult to control Hs 129 became completely uncontrollable for the main majority of pilots. …
Therefore, it is not surprising that the number of Hs-129В-2 / R3 produced was in the region of 15-20 units and, in general, there is no data on their actual use at the front and any results.
There was a second option, more famous by PR manager Rudel. This is the Junkers Ju-87D-3, which had TWO VK 3.7 cannons under its wing.
Cannon containers weighing more than 300 kg were easily removable and interchangeable with conventional bomb racks. Naturally, the standard small arms and bombs were removed from the aircraft. And the armor was also not very good, on the anti-tank "Junkers-87" there was no reservation for the gunner, center-section gas tanks and a water radiator. In general, the plane turned out to be the same. Exactly for strange people like Rudel.
You can talk a lot about his merits, about the fact that he "knocked out" 519 tanks, no one has seen or examined these tanks. Destroying 9 tank brigades in the T-34 is no joke. This is a stupid joke, but alas, what was - what was.
But in reality, the Ju-87G showed itself to be slow, clumsy, with a speed that decreased by 40-50 km / h, which, together with reduced armor and weak defensive armament from one 7, 92-mm machine gun, made it an ideal target for fighters.
Plus, the VK-3.7 cannons had a rather low rate of fire and low reliability of automation. And, if on the whole - a rather unsuccessful attempt to make a large-caliber aircraft cannon. In general, the armor penetration of VK 3.7 was clearly overestimated by German propaganda. As well as the merits of Rudel, despite his bucket of orders.
6.30mm MK-108 cannon. Germany
We can say that the exact opposite of the previous one. Not such a powerful projectile, not such ballistics, everything is different, but …
But it all started in 1941, when Rheinmetall won the competition for a new gun. And in 1943, the MK-108 was put into service.
The cannon turned out to be quite a cannon. Especially in terms of rate of fire, because 600-650 rounds per minute at that time for such a caliber was very weighty.
In general, the gun was planned to arm air defense fighters, which fought against raids by "fortresses" and British bombers.
The first MK-108 were the Bf-110G-2 / R3 fighters, which had been asking for reinforcement for a long time. Two MK-108 cannons with 135 rounds of ammunition per barrel were installed instead of a battery of four MG-81 machine guns of 7.92 mm caliber. It was quite impressive.
Further, the gun began to be registered in other aircraft. The second Messerschmitt, the Bf-109G-6 / U4, received an MK-108 motor-gun and 100 rounds of ammunition.
Later, an absolutely incredible version of the Messer appeared, the Bf-109G-6 / U5, whose armament consisted of an MK-108 motor-gun and two MK-108 at the root of each wing. A volley of three 30-mm cannons was not held by any bomber of that time, be it at least three times a "fortress".
But there was a nuance: you still have to approach the bomber at the distance of the shot. This is difficult, especially if the shooters want to live with their large-caliber Browning. And even more difficult, given that the ballistics of the MK-108 projectile was not very good. More precisely, in numbers, on tests when firing at 1000 meters, the projectile required an excess of the line of sight of 41 meters. It's a lot. That's a lot.
However, at shorter distances, 200-300 meters, the projectile flew quite closely and directly. The whole problem was that the bullets of 12, 7-mm American machine guns at this distance were also more than relevant.
Despite the terrible ballistics, the cannon took root. In 1944, it began to be installed on virtually all German fighters, some with cylinder collapse, some with the help of "Rüstsätze" kits on underwing suspensions.
The gun was especially appreciated in air defense. MK-108 was installed wherever possible. Virtually all interceptors, both night and day, were armed with this gun. And as offensive weapons Bf.110, Me.410, Ju-88, He.219, Do.335, and in the installations of the same "Schräge Musik" at an angle forward and upward for attacks by Allied bombers from the lower hemisphere.
I must say that despite its shortcomings, the MK-108 proved to be an effective weapon. And the crews of the allies gave her the nickname "Jackhammer" for the characteristic sound of the burst.
Yes, the MK-108 was the first cannon to ride jet thrust. Four MK-108 cannons became the standard armament of the Me-262 jet fighters. This is not to say that the application can be considered successful, well, clearly the gun was slow for such a fast machine as the Me-262. But for lack of a better …
Although even when used on a jet fighter flying at a speed of more than 800 km / h, the gun made it possible to counteract American and British bombers.
In general, all plants of "Rheinmetall-Borzig" produced about 400 thousand MK-108 cannons. A simple and technologically advanced design with a minimum of machining and a maximum of stamping - that's the whole secret.
7. NS-37. the USSR
Now the main majority of readers will rejoice, because I want to say that we have come to the best large-caliber aircraft cannon of the Second World War. Well, I believe that the NS-37 simply did not exist. But here is the path of this cannon …
The story began in 1938, when the head of OKB-16 Yakov Grigorievich Taubin and his deputy Mikhail Ivanovich Baburin created the BMA-37 cannon.
But the job at OKB-16 did not work out. For BMA-37, the process of creation was more than sluggish. In addition to the cannon, OKB-16 had a rather crude AP-12, 7 machine gun, an unfinished PT-23TB anti-aircraft gun, and a mountain of problems with the MP-6 serial cannon. As a result, in May 1941, Taubin and Baburin were arrested. The first was shot shortly after the start of the war, the second died in the camps in 1944.
Konstantin Konstantinovich Glukharev, a more than remarkable person, was appointed the head of OKB-16. He worked as a deputy for many designers of that time: Kurchevsky (arrested), Korolev and Glushkov (arrested), Shpitalny (arrested himself on charges of espionage from Shpitalny), Taubin. After the arrest, Taubin became the head of his OKB and did not let him fall apart.
In general, thanks to Glukharev, who actually re-released the BMA-37, it was possible to preserve the work of the "enemies of the people" and bring the gun to its senses.
The young designer of OKB-16 A. E. Nudelman became the leader of the cannon project, and A. S. Suranov was the direct executor. The project of the "new" cannon was approved on June 15, 1941. And no one was embarrassed that the cannon was developed in two and a half months.
We tested the gun on a LaGG-3 aircraft. In general, Lavochkin should be given special thanks for agreeing to test a cannon that did not pass tests on his plane.
The gun was tested quite successfully. It was possible to begin army tests, but then Boris Shpitalny began to put sticks in the wheels, who with all his might tried to put his Sh-37 cannon into service. By that time, several dozen LaGG-3s with the Sh-37 cannon had already fought, and the gun caused, to put it mildly, ambiguous impressions.
A powerful projectile is, yes, a positive point. But the mass (for Sh-37 - more than 300 kg), store food is negative.
But the OKB-16 cannon was twice as light as the Shpitalny cannon. And the food was with loose tape. As a result, instead of the Sh-37, the OKB-16 cannon was nevertheless adopted, despite all the backstage resistance of Shpitalny.
It was during this period that the 11-P gun, which was put into service, received the designation NS-37 in honor of the developers Nudelman and Suranov. Unfortunately, the true authors of the system, Taubin and Baburin, who were considered enemies of the people, were forgotten for a long time.
Military trials were carried out on LaGG-3, called Type 33 and Type 38. But then the LaGG was replaced by La-5, and Yakovlev's aircraft became the main consumer of the NS-37.
An anti-tank version of the Yak-9 with the NS-37 was developed, which was named Yak-9T (tank). The plane had to be altered, and very radically. The power frame of the fuselage in the front part was reinforced, the cockpit was moved back by 400 mm, which somewhat worsened the view of the front hemisphere, but improved the view of the rear. And as a result, the Yak-9T began to have less inertia, so inherent in all its colleagues in the design bureau.
I would like to note that, in general, for an aircraft that was not sharpened for the installation of such a gun, the Yak-9T turned out to be a very successful creation. The installation of a heavy cannon almost (a great word) did not affect the maneuverable characteristics of the fighter, which actually did not become an attack aircraft from this.
Yes, the lightweight design (compared to other carriers of heavy guns) did not allow firing in bursts of more than 2-3 shots. The sight was lost, and indeed, from a queue of 5-6 NS-37 shots, the plane could generally fall onto the wing, losing speed.
On the other hand, the advantages are a fairly decent ammunition load of 30 rounds and just excellent ballistics of the projectile, which made it possible to effectively shoot at a distance of 600 to 1000 meters. It is clear that a cannon projectile, when hitting any air target, greatly complicates the possibility of continuing the flight.
Serially, the Yak-9T was built at the N153 plant from March 1943 to June 1945. A total of 2,748 aircraft were produced.
But the Il-2 did not work with the NS-37, although whoever would just carry such guns, so an attack aircraft. And the attack aircraft was presented for state tests, the armament of which consisted of two NS-37 cannons with an ammunition load of 60 shells per barrel and 200 kg of bombs. The rockets had to be removed.
Tests have shown that shooting from the Il-2 from the NS-37 cannons can only be fired in short bursts of no more than two or three shots in length, since when firing simultaneously from two guns, due to the asynchronous operation of the aircraft, the aircraft experienced significant jolts, pecks and was knocked off the aiming line …
In addition, well-armored vehicles were not very vulnerable to NS-37 projectiles, about the same as the VYa-23 cannon, but it was much more difficult to shoot from the NS-37. Therefore, it was decided not to continue the production of the Il-2 with the NS-37. The total number of Ilves fired with NS-37 cannons is estimated at over 1000 pieces.
In total, more than 8 thousand NS-37 guns were manufactured. A third, however, turned out to be unclaimed. The gun had the main drawback - a very strong recoil.
If we compare it with the imported "colleagues" from the above list, then, perhaps, in terms of combat characteristics, only the No-204, the Japanese Browning machine gun copier on steroids, could be compared with the NS-37. The rest, the American M4, the British Vickers-S, and the German VK-3.7, were either too weak or not fast-firing. And in the same way they suffered from recoil.
When writing the article, materials by V. Shunkov and E. Aranov were used, photos from the site airwar.ru.
