Hispano-Suiza HS.404
Encyclopedia
The Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...

 HS.404 was an autocannon
Autocannon
An autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...

 widely used as both an aircraft and land weapon in the 20th century by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and numerous other military services. The cannon is also referred to as Birkigt type 404, after its designer. Firing a 20 mm caliber
20 mm caliber
The 20 mm caliber is a specific size of cannon or autocannon ammunition, commonly the smallest caliber which is unambiguously a cannon and not a heavy machine gun....

 projectile, it delivered a useful load of explosive from a relatively light weapon. This made it an ideal anti-aircraft weapon
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...

 for mounting on light vehicles, as well as a fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

 gun replacing the multiple 7.62 mm (.30 caliber)
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...

 and 7.7 mm (.303 caliber)
.303 British
.303 British, or 7.7x56mmR, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain as a blackpowder round put into service in December 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle, later adapted to use smokeless powders...

 machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....

s commonly used in military aircraft in the 1930s.

Development

The French company, Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...

 S. A., located in Bois Colombes, France, emerged from World War I as one of the most famous aircraft engine manufacturers in the World. The firm was first organized in France in 1904 as a branch of Spanish La Cuadra automobile firm, formed by artillery captain Emilio de la Cuadra. It was later joined by Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt
Marc Birkigt
Marc Birkigt was a Swiss engineer who moved to Barcelona, Spain when he was hired as an engineer by Emilio de la Cuadra, founder of Hispano-Suiza automobiles. He created the Dewoitine company along with Émile Dewoitine. Birkigt was nominated for the Car Engineer of the Century prize for the...

, the subsequent designer of HS.404.

From Oerlikon to Hispano

In the 1930s Hispano-Suiza took out a licence to build an engine drive shaft version of the Swiss Oerlikon FF S or Becker model. The Oerlikon FF S was based on the Oerlikon 20 mm anti-aircraft auto-cannon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...

 and forerunner of the MG FF. The Hispano-Suiza version was called the "Hispano-Suiza Automatic Cannon Type HS.7" and HS.9. The Swiss cannon, like all pre-war Oerlikon guns, was a recoil-operated weapon with certain unique features; a barrel that does not recoil and a heavy breechblock which is never locked against the breech and actually moves forward when the gun is fired. Shortly after production began, the Hispano-Suiza and Oerlikon companies disagreed over patent rights and their business connection came to an end.

In 1933, Birkigt began work on the design of an entirely new weapon to replace the Oerlikon contract, based on a locking mechanism patented in 1919 by Carl Swebilius (an American machine-gun inventor). The result was the Type 404, or HS.404. While the HS.404 resembled the parent Oerlikon FF S in many respects, its repeating mechanism was gas-operated. When the projectile passes a port cut into the barrel, the hot gas enters a chamber where it presses against a piston. The piston is connected to a rod that unlocks the bolt, allowing pressure in the barrel to drive the bolt backward. Since the bolt was locked during firing, the heavy bolt of the Oerlikon could be replaced by a much lighter one, which greatly increased the rate of fire to 700 rounds per minute, about 200 rounds over the Oerlikon. In 1938 Birkigt patented it and started production in their Geneva factory.

Aircraft and anti-aircraft gun

The HS.404 was widely used on pre-war French fighter plane designs, notably in installations firing through the drive shaft of the Hispano-Suiza 12Y
Hispano-Suiza 12Y
The Hispano-Suiza 12Y was a French aircraft engine in the pre-WWII era. Developed from the earlier, and somewhat smaller, 12X, the 12Y became the primary 1,000 hp class engine and was used in a number of famous aircraft, including the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 and Dewoitine D.520...

 engine, a system they referred to as a moteur-canon ("engine cannon"). The HS.404 was fed by drum magazines that could accommodate 60 rounds at most. Since in most installations the magazine could not be switched during flight, the small ammunition capacity was a weakness. In 1940, Hispano-Suiza was developing a belt-feeding system, as well as derivatives of the HS.404 in heavier calibres such as 23 mm but these projects were halted with the German occupation of France.

The new auto cannon was not only considered the best aircraft cannon of its kind but was also suited for anti-aircraft use. While the predecessor Oerlikon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...

 auto-cannon, was rather heavy and the movement of the heavy bolt made it best suited in static and maritime anti-aircraft defence, the HS.404 was well suited to mounting on vehicles. The M16, an anti-aircraft version of the M3 Half-track
M3 Half-track
The Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...

, could be equipped with single or double American made copies of the Hispano-Suiza auto-cannon. This variant of the M3 Half-track was used by US and Commonwealth forces late in the Second World War and Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

 and was further developed by Israel in the post-war era.

British production

In the buildup to the Second World War, Great Britain had acquired a licence to build the HS.404, which entered production as the Hispano Mk.I intended as aeroplane armament. Its first use was in the Westland Whirlwind
Westland Whirlwind (fixed wing)
The Westland Whirlwind was a British twin-engined heavy fighter developed by Westland Aircraft. It was the Royal Air Force's first single-seat, twin-engined, cannon-armed fighter, and a contemporary of the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane. It was one of the fastest aircraft when it flew in...

 of 1940, and later in the more powerful Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...

, providing the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

 with powerful cannon-armed interceptors. The experience of the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...

 had shown the batteries of 8 rifle-calibre machine guns
M1919 Browning machine gun
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War...

 to be inadequate and prompted the adoption of auto cannon armament for the primary RAF fighters. The Beaufighter highlighted the need for a belt feed mechanism; as a night fighter
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...

 the 60-round drums needed to be replaced in the dark by the Wireless Operator
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

, often while the aircraft was maneuvering to keep sight of its quarry. In addition, the early trial installations in the Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

 and Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

 had shown a tendency for the gun to jam during combat maneuvers, leading to some official doubt as to the suitability of cannons as the sole main armament. This led briefly to the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...

 specifying 12-machine gun armament for new fighters.

Subsequently a suitable belt-feeding system was developed by the Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd.
Martin-Baker
Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd. is a manufacturer of ejection seats and safety related equipment for aviation. The company origins were as an aircraft manufacturer before becoming a pioneer in the field of ejection seats...

 and the new design was adopted by the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

 and FAA
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...

 in 1941 in a slightly modified form as the Hispano Mk.II. Four cannons replaced the eight Browning .303
M1919 Browning machine gun
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War...

 machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....

s in the Hurricane and in some tropical versions of the Spitfire, becoming standard armament in later fighters. Most other Spitfires had only two cannons, because of technical difficulties (i.e., inadequate room for gun-heating capacity for the outboard cannon leading to the gun freezing at high altitudes), along with four 0.303 caliber (7.7mm)
.303 British
.303 British, or 7.7x56mmR, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain as a blackpowder round put into service in December 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle, later adapted to use smokeless powders...

 or two 0.50 caliber (12.7mm)
.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...

 machine guns.

The British were concerned their production would be inadequate and licensed production of the Hispano to the US. However, the US production never became satisfactory and the British eventually gave up on the U.S. versions. British production was eventually increased to the point where this was no longer an issue. The ultimate version of the British wartime Hispanos was the Hispano Mk. V, which had a shorter barrel
Gun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....

, was lighter and had a higher rate of fire (desirable in aircraft armament), although at the expense of some muzzle velocity. The shorter barrel meant that the weapon could be housed within the wing of a fighter plane, reducing drag and making them less vulnerable to freezing and mechanical stress. One of the main British fighters to use the Mk. V was the Hawker Tempest Mk. V Series II
Hawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....

, which mounted two cannons in each wing.

US production

The British version was also licensed for use in the United States as the M1, with both the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

 (USAAC) and U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 planning to switch to the 20 mm caliber
20 mm caliber
The 20 mm caliber is a specific size of cannon or autocannon ammunition, commonly the smallest caliber which is unambiguously a cannon and not a heavy machine gun....

 as soon as sufficient production was ready. A massive building program was set up, along with production of ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...

, in 1941. When delivered, the guns proved to be extremely unreliable and suffered a considerable number of misfires due to the round being "lightly struck" by the firing pin
Firing pin
A firing pin or striker is part of the firing mechanism used in a firearm or explosive device e.g. an M14 landmine or bomb fuze. Firing pins may take many forms, though the types used in landmines, bombs, grenade fuzes or other single-use devices generally have a sharpened point...

. The British were interested in using this weapon to ease production in England, but after receiving the M1 they were disappointed. British wing-mounted fighter weapons by this period were cocked
Half-cock
Half-cock is a technical firearms term referring to the position of the hammer where the hammer is partially but not completely cocked. Many firearms, particularly older firearms, had a notch cut into the hammer allowing half-cock, as this position would neither allow the gun to fire nor permit...

 on the ground by the aircraft armourers before flight, the built-in pneumatic cocking mechanism used previously being regarded as unnecessary weight and detrimental to aircraft performance, so any stoppage in flight made the gun unusable until it could be cleared on the ground. The misfires also had the tendency to cause aircraft with wing-mounted guns to yaw
Aircraft principal axes
An aircraft in flight is free to rotate in three dimensions: pitch, nose up or down about an axis running from wing to wing), yaw, nose left or right about an axis running up and down; and roll, rotation about an axis running from nose to tail. The axes are alternatively designated as lateral,...

 towards the wing with the failed gun when the guns were fired, due to the unequal recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...

, thus throwing-off the pilot's aim.

In April 1942 a copy of the British Mk.II was sent to the U.S. for comparison, the British version used a slightly shorter chamber and did not have the same problems as the U.S. version of the cannon. The U.S. declined to modify the chamber of their version, but nonetheless made other modifications to create the unreliable M2. By late 1942 the USAAC had 40 million rounds of ammunition stored but the guns remained unsuitable. The U.S. Navy had been trying to go all-cannon throughout the war but the conversion never occurred. As late as December 1945 the Army's
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 Chief of Ordnance was still attempting to complete additional changes to the design to allow it to enter service. Some variations of the 20 mm guns used on the Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft were produced by International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...

 .
The U.S. followed the British development closely and when the Mk.V was designed, the Americans followed suit with the M3 but unreliability continued. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 (USAF) adopted a version of the M3 cannon as the M24, similar in most respects except for the use of electrically primed ammunition. The problems of the American weapons led to most US fighters being equipped with the .50 cal Browning HMG throughout the war.

Post-war development

After the war the Hispano variants disappeared fairly quickly as fighter armament due to the introduction of revolver cannon
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 further speed the loading process, but this is by no means...

s, based on the German wartime Mauser MG 213
Mauser MG 213
The Mauser MG 213 was a 20 mm aircraft-mounted revolver cannon developed for the Luftwaffe during World War II. It was never put into service, but the principles formed the basis for several post-war developments by the Allies. A 30 mm version was developed as the MG 213C or MK 213 and it was this...

. The British introduced the powerful revolving 30 mm caliber
30 mm caliber
30 mm caliber ammunition is usually used in autocannon. Such ammunition includes NATO standard 30 × 173 mm and 30 × 113 mm and Soviet 30 × 165 mm ammunition widely used around the world....

 ADEN cannon
ADEN cannon
The Royal Small Arms Factory ADEN is a 30 mm revolver cannon used on many military aircraft, particularly those of the British Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm...

 in most of their post-war designs, while the French used the very similar DEFA cannon
DEFA cannon
The DEFA cannon is a family of widely used French-made aircraft revolver cannons firing the standard 30 mm caliber NATO rounds.-Design history:...

, firing similar ammunition. Similarly, the USAF introduced the 20 mm M39 cannon
M39 cannon
The M39 cannon was a 20 mm caliber 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.-Development:...

 to replace the M24, while the Navy instead combined the original Hispano design with a lighter round for better muzzle velocity in the Colt Mk 12 cannon
Colt Mk 12 cannon
The Colt-Browning Mk 12 was a 20 mm cannon widely used by the United States Navy after World War II.-Development:The Mk 12 was an advanced derivative of the wartime Hispano HS 404 that had been used on a variety of American and British fighter aircraft during World War II...

. As a ground vehicle mounted gun, either anti-aircraft or as a general autocannon, the HS.404 lasted into the 1960s. A power turret variant is still in production in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

  and in use in the navy and army as a light anti-aircraft gun in several nations.

Properties

The Hispano fired a 130 g (4.586 oz) 20 mm diameter projectile from a 110 mm (4.331 in) long casing, the whole round weighing 257 g (9.065 oz). Length of the projectiles vary with type, but are set to variable depth in the casing to produce a total length of 184 mm (7.244 in) regardless of projectile type. The gun has a muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...

 between 840 metre per second, depending on barrel length. Rate of fire was between 600 and 850 rounds per minute. It was 2.36 m (7.7 ft) long, weighing between 42 kilogram. The British Mk V and American M3/M24 weapons were lighter and had higher rates of fire than the early HS.404 guns.

France

HS.404
  • Bloch MB.152
  • Breguet 693
    Breguet 693
    The Breguet 690 and its derivatives were a series of light twin-engine ground-attack aircraft that were used by the French Air Force in World War II....

  • Dewoitine D.500
  • Dewoitine D.520
    Dewoitine D.520
    The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the opening of World War II. Unlike the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, which was at that time the Armée de l'Airs most numerous fighter, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest...

  • LeO 451
  • Morane-Saulnier M.S.406
    Morane-Saulnier M.S.406
    The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II....

  • Potez 631

United Kingdom & Commonwealth

Hispano Mk. I
  • Gloster F.9/37
    Gloster F.9/37
    |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bowyer, Michael J.F. Interceptor Fighters for the Royal Air Force 1935-45. Wellingborough, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1984. ISBN 0-85059-726-9....

    —a design not taken into service
  • Westland Whirlwind
    Westland Whirlwind (fixed wing)
    The Westland Whirlwind was a British twin-engined heavy fighter developed by Westland Aircraft. It was the Royal Air Force's first single-seat, twin-engined, cannon-armed fighter, and a contemporary of the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane. It was one of the fastest aircraft when it flew in...

    —the RAF's first cannon-armed fighter.
  • Bristol Beaufighter
    Bristol Beaufighter
    The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...

    —early aircraft


Hispano Mk. II
  • Blackburn Firebrand
    Blackburn Firebrand
    |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brown, Eric, CBE, DCS, AFC, RN.; Green William and Swanborough, Gordon. "Fairey Swordfish". Wings of the Navy, Flying Allied Carrier Aircraft of World War Two. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980, p. 157–167. ISBN 0-7106-0002-X.* Buttler, Tony....

  • Blackburn Firecrest
    Blackburn Firecrest
    |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Brown, Eric. "The Firebrand...Blackburn's baby 'battleship'". Air International, July 1978, Vol 15 No 1. Bromley, UK:Fine Scroll. pp. 25–31, 46–47....

  • Bristol Beaufighter
    Bristol Beaufighter
    The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...

  • CAC Boomerang
    CAC Boomerang
    The CAC Boomerang was a World War II fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia between 1942 and 1945. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation produced Boomerangs under the production contract numbers CA-12, CA-13, CA-14 and CA-19, with aircraft supplied under each subsequent contract...

  • Consolidated Liberator GR I (4 guns on 20 aircraft)
  • de Havilland Mosquito
    De Havilland Mosquito
    The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...

  • Douglas Boston III (Intruder)
  • Fairey Firefly
    Fairey Firefly
    The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....

  • Gloster Meteor
    Gloster Meteor
    The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...

  • Hawker Hurricane Mk IIC and IV
    Hawker Hurricane
    The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

  • Hawker Tempest Mk V Srs I
    Hawker Tempest
    The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....

  • Hawker Typhoon Mk IB
    Hawker Typhoon
    The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...

  • North American Mustang IA
    P-51 Mustang
    The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

  • Supermarine Spitfire
    Supermarine Spitfire
    The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

     Marks V to Mark 20

Hispano Mk. V
  • Allouette III (South African Air Force
    South African Air Force
    The South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...

     cabin mounted)
  • Avro Lincoln
    Avro Lincoln
    The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...

     (when fitted with mid-upper turrets)
  • Avro Shackleton
    Avro Shackleton
    The Avro Shackleton was a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber with a new fuselage...

  • Bristol Brigand
  • de Havilland Hornet & Sea Hornet
    De Havilland Hornet
    The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet was a piston engine fighter that further exploited the wooden construction techniques pioneered by de Havilland's classic Mosquito. Entering service at the end of the Second World War, the Hornet equipped postwar RAF Fighter Command day fighter units in the UK and was...

  • de Havilland Vampire
    De Havilland Vampire
    The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...

  • de Havilland Venom & Sea Venom
    De Havilland Venom
    The de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter....

  • English Electric Canberra B.Mk.6 & B(I).Mk.8
    English Electric Canberra
    The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...

  • Hawker Fury & Sea Fury
    Hawker Sea Fury
    The Hawker Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft developed for the Royal Navy by Hawker during the Second World War. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, it was also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built.-Origins:The Hawker Fury was an...

  • Hawker Sea Hawk
    Hawker Sea Hawk
    The Hawker Sea Hawk was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm , the air branch of the Royal Navy , built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its origins stemmed from earlier Hawker piston-engined fighters, the Sea Hawk became the...

  • Hawker Tempest Mk V Srs II
    Hawker Tempest
    The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....

     and subsequent Marks
  • Martin-Baker MB 5—prototype
  • Saunders-Roe SR.A/1
    Saunders-Roe SR.A/1
    |-See also:-References:*London, Peter. British Flying Boats. Stroud, UK:Sutton Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3.*Mason, Francis K.The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland, USA:Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7....

  • Supermarine Attacker
    Supermarine Attacker
    The Supermarine Attacker was a British single-seat naval jet fighter built by Supermarine for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm . It was the FAA's first jet fighter.-Design and development:...

  • Supermarine Seafang
    Supermarine Seafang
    -References:NotesBibliography*Bingham, Victor. Supermarine Fighter Aircraft. Marlborough, UK: The Crowood Press, 2004. ISBN 1-86126-649-9.*Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935-1950. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Midland, 2004. ISBN 1-85780-179-2.* Humphreys, Robert. The...

  • Supermarine Spiteful
    Supermarine Spiteful
    The Supermarine Spiteful was a British Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined fighter aircraft designed by Supermarine to Air Ministry specification F.1/43 during the Second World War as a successor to the Spitfire.-Design and development:...

  • Supermarine Spitfire
    Supermarine Spitfire
    The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

    —Marks 21 and later
  • Westland Welkin
    Westland Welkin
    |-See also:-Bibliography:* Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Hinckley, UK: Midland, 2004. ISBN 1-85780-179-2....

  • Westland Wyvern
    Westland Wyvern
    The Westland Wyvern was a British single-seat carrier-based multi-role strike aircraft built by Westland Aircraft that served in the 1950s, seeing active service in the 1956 Suez Crisis...


United States

M1
  • Bell P-39 - some early 20mm-armed models and RAF Bell Airacobra I
  • Lockheed P-38 Lightning - some early 20mm-armed models and RAF Lockheed Lightning I

M2
  • Bell P-400 (P-39 Airacobra diverted from export)
  • Boeing B-29 Superfortress
  • Douglas A-1 Skyraider
  • Douglas F3D Skyknight
  • Grumman F9F Panther
  • Grumman F-9 Cougar
  • Lockheed P-38 Lightning
  • Northrop P-61 Black Widow
  • Chance Vought F4U-1C Corsair

T31
  • Douglas A2D Skyshark

M3
  • Chance Vought F4U-4B Corsair and all following versions
  • Chance Vought F6U Pirate
  • Chance Vought F7U Cutlass
  • Douglas A-3 Skywarrior

M24
  • Convair B-36
    Convair B-36
    The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built , although there have...

  • Boeing B-47 Stratojet
  • Douglas B-66 Destroyer
  • Northrop F-89C Scorpion

Specifications HS.404

  • Type: single-barrel automatic cannon
  • Caliber: 20 mm × 110 (0.79 in)
  • Operation: gas operated
  • Length without muzzle brake: 2.32 m (7.6 ft)
  • Length with muzzle brake: 2.52 m (8.3 ft)
  • Weight without drum magazine: 43 kilogram
  • Weight (complete): 68.7 kilogram
  • Rate of fire: 600–700 rpm
  • Muzzle velocity: 840 metre per second
  • Recoil force: 400 kg (881.849 lb) with muzzle brake
  • Ammunition: Ball, Incendiary, HE (High Explosive)
  • Projectile weight: HE and HEI: 130 g (4.6 oz), AP-T: 168 g (5.9 oz)
  • HE and HEI rounds explosive filler: 6 gram
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