These were the AN/M3 and M24 aircraft guns converted for use as small-craft surface weapons. The AN/M3 was a derivative of the Swiss Hispano-Suiza HS404 cannon, which was introduced in the late 1930s. These guns were not widely used on US aircraft until after World War II when the improved AN/M3 version was developed. This version was then used to arm many fighters and bombers during the 1950s. The AN/M3 gun used lubricated, percussion-primed ammunition. The M24 aircraft gun was a further modification that fired electric-primed ammunition, which the Air Force considered to be more reliable than percussion ammunition. All of these guns operated with an open breech and had a gas-assisted, blowback operation, with the recoil motion being used to feed the next round of ammunition.
Description
During the Vietnam War, the Navy acquired a fleet of small craft which were used to patrol the coastal waters and rivers of Vietnam. These boats had a need for larger automatic weapons than the 0.50' (12.7 mm) BMG. By the 1960s, the number of Oerlikons available was limited and spares were becoming difficult to find, so the Navy decided to adapt AN/M3 aircraft guns for shipboard use. These modified guns were then designated as Mark 16. Unlike the Oerlikon, the Mark 16 was belt-fed and fired a larger and more powerful round. There were two principal versions of the Mark 16 in service: Mod 4, which has an electrical trigger mechanism, and the Mod 5, which has a hand-operated stepped mechanical trigger.
Ammunition was linked and fed through a feed chute to the delinking feeder on top of the gun. Lubrication for the ammunition was provided by a pump that put a drop of semi-fluid lubricating oil (LSA) in the chamber each time the gun fired.
About 5,000 Mark 16 guns were delivered during the Vietnam War. In 1982 those guns and mountings still remaining in naval service were described as being unreliable and difficult to maintain and were subsequentially phased out in favor of the 25 mm chain gun. However, many Air Force M24 guns were cannibalized during the 1980s and 1990s to provide spare parts for the US Coast Guard which had continued to use the Mark 16.
16 Mk 7 Gun Shock Dmg For Sale
These were the first USN 8' (20.3 cm) guns to use separate rather than bag ammunition. With automatic shell handling and loading, a fire rate three times greater than that of previous 8' (20.3 cm) guns and coupled together with the use of 'super-heavy' AP projectiles, these weapons made the Des Moines (CA-134) class the most powerful heavy cruisers ever built. Mk 48 7.62mm Lightweight Machine Gun. The Mk 48 Mod 0 is a 7.62mm lightweight machine gun developed to meet a US Special Operations requirement for a lightweight 7.62mm weapon to compliment the 5.
Unless otherwise noted, the data that follows is for the Mark 16 Mod 5.
16 Mk 7 Gun Shock Dmg Review
Projectiles for these guns are very similar to those for the Oerlikon 20 mm guns of World War II fame. They differ by having a smaller explosive cavity at the rear of the projectile. This makes for a thicker wall around the base which better resists the crushing action created by the driving band as the projectile travels down the gun barrel.
Mount/Turret Data
Sources
'US Naval Weapons' and 'The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1991/92' both by Norman Friedman
'Jane's Ammunition Handbook: Ninth Edition 2000-2001' edited by Terry J. Gander and Charles Q. Cutshaw 'Rapid Fire' by Anthony G. Williams --- 'Gunners Mate Training Manual' NAVEDTRA 14110 'Naval Ordnance and Gunnery - 1952' Navpers 16116-B --- NAVORD 3990 as shown on-line at Warboats Special help from Robert Stoner of Warboats
19 November 2008 - Benchmark
28 August 2012 - Added ammunition information 08 August 2016 - Converted to HTML 5 format Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2020
Categories |