Difference between revisions of "MG FF (20 mm)"

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{{About
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| about = German machine gun '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
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| usage = the other version
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| link = MG FF/M (20 mm)
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}}
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.''
+
<!--''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.''-->
 +
The '''MG FF''' is a German 20 mm autocannon found on a number of early-war German fighter aircraft. Based off the Swiss Oerlikon FF autocannon of the 1920s, this cannon offers a massive boost in firepower to those equipped with this cannon, but the lack of minengeschoß ammunition compared to the later MG FF/M makes this cannon relatively lacking in firepower compared to higher BR fighters. Nonetheless, a few shells will easily disassemble any fighter at the expected BR, and if used and conserved well the 60 cannon rounds per gun can rack up victories with ease.
  
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->
 
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->
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* {{Specs-Link|a7he1}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|a7he1}}
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* {{Specs-Link|arado-196a-3}}
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* {{Specs-Link|arado-196a-5}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|bf-109e-3}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|bf-109e-3}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|he_112b_0}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|he_112b_0}}
−
* {{Specs-Link|he_112b_1}}
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* {{Specs-Link|he_112b_1}} (Germany)
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* {{Specs-Link|he_112b_1_italy}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|he_112b_2}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|he_112b_2}}
  
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''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''
 
''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''
  
−
=== Available shells ===
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=== Available ammunition ===
−
''Describe the shells that are available for the cannon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).''
+
<!-- ''Describe the shells that are available for the weapon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).'' -->
 +
 
 +
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|IT*|Incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|IT*|Incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}
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* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|IT*|Incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}
 +
* '''Air targets:''' {{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}{{-}}{{Annotation|IT*|Incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}
 +
* '''Tracers:''' {{Annotation|IT*|Incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|IT*|Incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T*|Fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}
 +
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}
 +
 
 +
{{:{{PAGENAME}}/Ammunition|IT*, APHE, FI-T*, AP-I}}
  
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
−
''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns, that have firepower equal to these type of weapons.''
+
''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.''
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
−
''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against the main opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.''
+
''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.''
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Decent punch compared to most of the other contemporary armament
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Sluggish rate of fire
 +
* Low muzzle velocity
 +
* Lacks the minengeschoss shell of the FF/M
 +
* Less effective armour-piercing ammunition
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of this weapon. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''
+
<!-- ''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.'' -->
 +
The story of the MG FF starts in World War I with the Becker M2, an early 20 mm aircraft-mounted autocannon. Using an advanced primer ignition blowback action and fed from 15-round curved box magazines, the Becker had difficulties serving as aircraft armament as the blowback action meant the gun could not be synchronized to fire through the propeller without damaging it. As a result, the Becker M2 only saw combat on Zeppelins during the war and was only used on aircraft for testing.
 +
 
 +
After the war, the Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from developing aircraft cannons and similar weapons so the rights were sold to the Swiss company SEMAG in 1919 and then transferred again to Oerlikon in 1924. Oerlikon began developing multiple cannon types based on the Becker action and worked to increase the muzzle velocity so it could serve in anti-tank and anti-aircraft roles. In 1935, Oerlikon introduced the latest variant of their 20 mm cannon, the [[Oerlikon FF (20 mm)|FF]] which could be mounted inside or on the wings of fighter aircraft. In the global rearmament that precipitated World War II, licenses for the Oerlikon FF were taken out by multiple nations including Germany.
 +
 
 +
In Germany, the Ikaria firm began manufacturing the cannon as the MG FF for German fighters and bombers. Compared to the contemporary [[Hispano 404 (20 mm)|Hispano 404]], the MG FF suffered from a low fire rate and muzzle velocity. Another limiting factor of the design was the 60-round drums which were difficult to mount in the wings of Germany's main fighters the [[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109]] and [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]. Starting in 1941, the MG FF began to be phased out by the lighter, belt-fed [[MG 151 (20 mm)|MG 151]], but it would find a new lease of life in 1943 as part of the [[Schräge Musik]] mounting in German night fighters due to large stockpile and the fact muzzle velocity would not be a concern in the new role.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
−
''An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
−
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
+
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
 
* ''reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
−
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''
+
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.'' -->
 +
 
 +
* [[MG FF/M (20 mm)]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 +
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''encyclopedia page on the weapon;''
 
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
  
 
{{Germany aircraft cannons}}
 
{{Germany aircraft cannons}}
 
{{Japan aircraft cannons}}
 
{{Japan aircraft cannons}}
 +
{{Italy aircraft cannons}}
 +
{{Sweden aircraft cannons}}
  
 
[[Category:Aircraft cannons]]
 
[[Category:Aircraft cannons]]

Latest revision as of 21:11, 20 September 2023

This page is about the German machine gun MG FF (20 mm). For the other version, see MG FF/M (20 mm).

Description

The MG FF is a German 20 mm autocannon found on a number of early-war German fighter aircraft. Based off the Swiss Oerlikon FF autocannon of the 1920s, this cannon offers a massive boost in firepower to those equipped with this cannon, but the lack of minengeschoß ammunition compared to the later MG FF/M makes this cannon relatively lacking in firepower compared to higher BR fighters. Nonetheless, a few shells will easily disassemble any fighter at the expected BR, and if used and conserved well the 60 cannon rounds per gun can rack up victories with ease.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

General info

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.

Available ammunition

  • Default: IT* · IT* · APHE
  • Universal: IT* · FI-T* · FI-T* · APHE
  • Air targets: FI-T* · FI-T* · AP-I · APHE · IT*
  • Tracers: IT* · IT* · FI-T* · FI-T*
  • Stealth: APHE

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
IT* 10 10 5 2 1 1
APHE 19 18 15 10 3 3
FI-T* 6 6 6 6 6 6
AP-I 25 24 18 10 1 1
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
IT* 585 0.12 - - - 47° 56° 65°
APHE 580 0.12 0.3 0.9 7.8 47° 60° 65°
FI-T* 600 0.12 0.2 0.1 0 47° 56° 65°
AP-I 580 0.12 - - - 47° 56° 65°

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.

Usage in battles

Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Decent punch compared to most of the other contemporary armament

Cons:

  • Sluggish rate of fire
  • Low muzzle velocity
  • Lacks the minengeschoss shell of the FF/M
  • Less effective armour-piercing ammunition

History

The story of the MG FF starts in World War I with the Becker M2, an early 20 mm aircraft-mounted autocannon. Using an advanced primer ignition blowback action and fed from 15-round curved box magazines, the Becker had difficulties serving as aircraft armament as the blowback action meant the gun could not be synchronized to fire through the propeller without damaging it. As a result, the Becker M2 only saw combat on Zeppelins during the war and was only used on aircraft for testing.

After the war, the Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from developing aircraft cannons and similar weapons so the rights were sold to the Swiss company SEMAG in 1919 and then transferred again to Oerlikon in 1924. Oerlikon began developing multiple cannon types based on the Becker action and worked to increase the muzzle velocity so it could serve in anti-tank and anti-aircraft roles. In 1935, Oerlikon introduced the latest variant of their 20 mm cannon, the FF which could be mounted inside or on the wings of fighter aircraft. In the global rearmament that precipitated World War II, licenses for the Oerlikon FF were taken out by multiple nations including Germany.

In Germany, the Ikaria firm began manufacturing the cannon as the MG FF for German fighters and bombers. Compared to the contemporary Hispano 404, the MG FF suffered from a low fire rate and muzzle velocity. Another limiting factor of the design was the 60-round drums which were difficult to mount in the wings of Germany's main fighters the Bf 109 and Fw 190. Starting in 1941, the MG FF began to be phased out by the lighter, belt-fed MG 151, but it would find a new lease of life in 1943 as part of the Schräge Musik mounting in German night fighters due to large stockpile and the fact muzzle velocity would not be a concern in the new role.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Germany aircraft cannons
15 mm  MG 151
20 mm  MG 151 · MG C/30L · MG FF · MG FF/M
27 mm  Mauser BK27
30 mm  Hispano HS 825 · MK 101 · MK 103 · MK 108
37 mm  BK 3.7
50 mm  BK 5 · Mk.214a
75 mm  BK 7.5
  Foreign:
20 mm  Hispano Mk.V (Britain) · M24A1 (USA) · M61A1 (USA) · ShVAK (USSR)
23 mm  GSh-23L (USSR) · NR-23 (USSR) · VYa-23 (USSR)
30 mm  DEFA 552 (France) · GSh-30-1 (USSR) · GSh-30-2K (USSR) · NR-30 (USSR)
37 mm  N-37D (USSR)

Japan aircraft cannons
20 mm  Ho-1 · Ho-3 · Ho-5 · Type 99 Model 1 · Type 99 Model 2
30 mm  Ho-155 · Type 5
37 mm  Ho-203 · Ho-204 · Type 94
40 mm  Ho-301
57 mm  Ho-401
75 mm  Type 88
  Foreign:
20 mm  M39A3 (USA) · M61A1 (USA) · M197 (USA) · MG FF (Germany) · MG FF/M (Germany) · MG 151 (Germany)
30 mm  GAU-13/A (USA) · M230E-1 (USA)

Italy aircraft cannons
20 mm  TM197B
30 mm  Hispano HS 825
37 mm  Breda Model 39 37/54
102 mm  102/35 mod 14
  Foreign:
20 mm  B-20E (USSR) · B-20M (USSR) · B-20S (USSR) · Hispano 404 (France) · Hispano Mk.II (Britain) · Hispano Mk.V (Britain) · M24A1 (USA) · M61A1 (USA) · MG 151 (Germany) · MG FF (Germany) · MG FF/M (Germany) · ShVAK (USSR)
23 mm  GSh-23L (USSR) · NR-23 (USSR) · NS-23 (USSR)
27 mm  Akan m/85 (Sweden) · Mauser BK27 (Germany)
30 mm  DEFA 552 (France) · GSh-30-1 (USSR) · GSh-30-2K (USSR) · MK 103 (Germany) · MK 108 (Germany) · NR-30 (USSR)
37 mm  BK 3.7 (Germany) · N-37 (USSR) · N-37D (USSR)

Sweden aircraft cannons
20 mm  Akan m/41A · Akan m/45 · Akan m/47B · Akan m/47C · Akan m/49 · Oerlikon FF
27 mm  Akan m/85
30 mm  Akan m/55 · Akan m/75
57 mm  Akan m/47
  Foreign:
20 mm  MG FF (Germany) · MG 151 (Germany)
23 mm  GSh-23L (USSR)
30 mm  2A42 (USSR) · M230E-1 (USA) · MK 108 (Germany)

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