The Pontiac M39 was a 20 mm single-barreled revolver cannon developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s. It was used on a number of fighter aircraft from the early 1950s through the 1980s.
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Development
The M39 was developed by the Springfield Armory, based on the World War II–era design of the German Mauser MG 213, a 20 mm (and 30 mm) cannon developed for the Luftwaffe, but not used in combat. The same design inspired the British ADEN cannon and the French DEFA, but American designers chose a smaller 20 mm round to increase the weapon's rate of fire and muzzle velocity at the expense of hitting power.
Initially designated the T-160, the new gun was installed for combat testing on a number of F-86 Sabre aircraft under the "GunVal" program in late 1952, and used in action over Korea in early 1953. It was subsequently adopted as standard armament of the F-86H fighter-bomber, F-100 Super Sabre, F-101A and F-101C Voodoo, and the F-5 Freedom Fighter. Current models of the F-5 Tiger II still use the M39A2 version of this weapon.
Specifications
- Type: single-barrel automatic cannon
- Caliber: 20 mm (0.79 in) × 102 mm
- Operation: five-chamber revolver
- Length: N/A
- Weight (complete): 81 kg (178.5 lb)
- Rate of fire: 1,500 rpm
- Muzzle velocity: 1,030 m/s (3,300 ft/s)
- Projectile weight: 101 g (3.56 oz)
References
External links
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