FLIGHT, December 21, 1939.

A Survey of the

ARMAMENT I SINGLE-SEATERS
Modern Technique : Alternative Loadings : Why Not "Point
By H . F . K I N G

Replenishing belt boxes of Browning guns on a Hawker Hurricane.

Fives"?

F this war h a s proved a n y t h i n g it has confirmed t h a t we took t h e right course in putting eight high-speed riflebore m a c h i n e guns on our H u r r i c a n e a n d Spitfire singleseaters which h a v e sprayed Heinkels a n d Dorniers until they resembled colanders. T h e high density of their cones of fire gives pilots who m a y b e b y no m e a n s expert marksmen a n excellent chance of hitting their target. T h e G e r m a n s m a y be using self-sealing petrol t a n k s , b u t ,

so far as we know, they are not yet fitting a r m o u r , a n d consequently the crew a n d vital p a r t s of the aircraft h a v e fared badly. E v e n so, provided it is hit only in non-vital parts, the modern stressed-skin b o m b e r can t a k e a great m a n y rifle-calibre bullets a n d still stand a good chance of surviving. This, coupled with the fact t h a t a r m o u r will probably be encountered in increasing quantities, will demand heavier guns firing explosive bullets or shells. Other considerations are t h a t t h e rifle-calibre gun is effective only a t short range a n d t h a t beyond this t h e trajectory drops sharply. T h e p a t h of a 0.5m. or 13.2-mm. bullet is m u c h flatter, b u t , despite the fact t h a t the a m m u n i t i o n can b e m a d e explosive, little interest h a s been exhibited in this country in weapons of this calibre. Instead, we are m a k i n g H i s p a n o Suiza shell-firing guns of a t least 20-mm. bore. As Mr. Sydney C a m m , the designer of the H a w k e r H u r r i c a n e , emphasised in Flight last week when discussing t h e Messerschmitt Me 109, a four-gun fighter will not be so large or so h e a v y as a machine designed to t a k e eight guns. H e assumed, of course, t h a t t h e guns were all of similar calibre a n d were provided with the same a m o u n t of a m m u n i t i o n . However, once the a r m a m e n t load h a s been decided o n a n d provided there are no structural

5. 6.

The rifle-calibre Danish Madsen machine gun. Germany's standard machine gun (.312m The Breda S.A.F.A.T. as used by Italy (rifle calibre and o.sin.). The rifle-calibre Browning as used by many countries. The 23 mm. Madsen belt-fed shell-gun. A 20 mm. Oerlikon with 60-round magazine.