The Mauser MG 213 was a
20 mm
20 mm caliber is a specific size of popular autocannon ammunition. It is typically used to distinguish smaller-caliber weapons, commonly called "guns", from larger-caliber "cannons" (e.g. machine gun vs. autocannon). All 20 mm cartridges h ...
aircraft-mounted
revolver cannon
A revolver cannon is a type of autocannon, commonly used as an aircraft gun. It uses a cylinder with multiple chambers, like those of a revolver handgun, to speed up the loading-firing-ejection cycle. Some examples are also power-driven, to fur ...
developed for the ''
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It was never put into service, but the principles formed the basis for several post-war developments by the
Allies. A
30 mm
30 mm caliber is a specific size of popular autocannon ammunition. Such ammunition includes NATO standard 30×113mmB and 30×173mm (STANAG 4624), Soviet 30×155mmB, 30×165mm, and 30×210mmB, Yugoslav 30×192mm, Anglo-Swiss 30×170mm, an ...
version was developed as the MG 213C or MK 213 and it was this that led to the British
ADEN, French
DEFA
DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence.
Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...
and American
M39 cannon.
Operation
The gun was developed by
Mauser but, as far as known, was never deployed. It was developed from an earlier design: the MG 213A. The MG 213A utilized a
gas-driven operation. In the MG 213, the direct movement of the revolver cassette was changed to a diagonal cam with a follower. This actuated a rammer that both fed cartridges into the cylinders and revolved the cassette. Sealing was accomplished by packing the cylinder and breech with heat resistant steel. This innovation allowed chamber movement while the gas pressure was very high. The revolver cassette had five chambers and at least 3 chambers were full during operation, feeding, firing, and extracting. The cylinder was fed at the 5 o'clock position and fired at the 12 o'clock position. Upon discovery of examples of the gun, it caught the attention of
autocannon developers in Switzerland, France, Britain, and the US. The British
ADEN cannon was developed eight years later, while the US M39E, first designated T-160, was rushed into combat evaluation during the Korean War.
20mm MG213
*Caliber: 20 x 135mm
*Weight: ; assembled
*Length:
*Barrel length:
*Rate of fire: 1200–1400 rounds/min (~21 rounds/s)
*Muzzle velocity:
30mm MK213
*Caliber: 30 x 85R mm
*Weight: ; assembled
*Length:
*Barrel length:
*Rate of fire: 1000–1200 rounds/min
*Muzzle velocity:
See also
*
BK 5 cannon (MK 214)
*
MG 151 cannon
The MG 151 (MG 151/15) was a German 15 mm aircraft-mounted autocannon produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser during World War II. Its 20mm variant, the 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, was widely used on German Luftwaffe fighters, night fighters, figh ...
*
MK 108 cannon
References
Further reading
*
20 mm artillery
Autocannon
Aircraft guns
{{Weapon-stub