The Ho-5 was a Japanese aircraft 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...

 used during 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...

. Developed from the Ho-103 machine gun

Ho-103 machine gun

The 12.7mm Type 1 was a Japanese aircraft machine gun widely used during World War II and also known as the Ho-103. The Ho-103 was actually a fixed gun and the Ho-104 a flexible gun...

, it was a version of the American Model 1921 Browning aircraft machine gun. It replaced the Ho-1

Ho-1 cannon

Ho-1 was a Japanese autocannon used during World War II. It was a Type 97 20 mm anti-tank rifle adopted for use in bomber turrets.-Specifications:*Caliber: 20 mm *Ammunition: 20 x 125...

 and Ho-3

Ho-3 cannon

Ho-3 was a Japanese autocannon used during World War II. It was a drum-fed improvement of the magazine-fed Ho-1 cannon, itself derived from the Type 97 antitank rifle.-Specifications:*Caliber: 20 mm...

(Army Type 97) in general service. The Ho-5 was belt-fed using typical Browning-style steel disintegrating links. The cartridge used was a shortened version of the Allied 20 x 110 Hispano-Suiza.

The Ho-5 was used mostly as wing mounts in late-war fighters, but saw limited use as cowl mounted in fighters and as flexible mounted (retrofit) in bombers.

Specifications

• Caliber: 20 mm (0.8 in)
• Ammunition: 20 x 94 (84.5 g)
• Weight: 35 kg (77 lb)
• Rate of fire: 450-600 rounds/min
• Muzzle velocity: 750 m/s (2,460 ft/s)
• Magazine: 150-round belt