Difference between revisions of "Browning (7.7 mm)"

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<!-- ''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 {{PAGENAME}} is a Browning M1919 machine gun adapted to fire the British .303 round (7.7 mm) and is seen predominantly on British aircraft.
 
The {{PAGENAME}} is a Browning M1919 machine gun adapted to fire the British .303 round (7.7 mm) and is seen predominantly on British aircraft.
−
 
−
''Note: The one American plane armed with the Browning .303, the SB2U2, has a unique gun with lower accuracy than the ones found on British planes.''
 
  
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
Line 11: Line 9:
 
{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Fighters'''}}
 
{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Fighters'''}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Boomerang}}{{Specs-Link|boomerang_mki}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|boomerang_mkii}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Boomerang}}{{Specs-Link|boomerang_mki}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|boomerang_mkii}}
−
{{Navigation-Line|Gladiator}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk1_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2_france}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2_navy}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2_silver}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2_tuck}}
+
{{Navigation-Line|Gladiator}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk1_belgium}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk1_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2_france}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2_navy}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2_silver}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|gladiator_mk2_tuck}}
−
{{Navigation-Line|Hurricane}}{{Specs-Link|hurricane_mk1}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|hurricane_mk1b}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|hurricanemkii}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|hurricane_mk4}}
+
{{Navigation-Line|Hurricane}}{{Specs-Link|hurricane_mk1}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|hurricane_mk1_late_ep}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|hurricane_mk1_late_finland}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|hurricane_mk1b}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|hurricanemkii}}
−
{{Navigation-Line|Seafire}}{{Specs-Link|seafire_mk17}}
+
{{Navigation-Line|Seafire}}{{Specs-Link|seafire_mk3}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|seafire_mk3_france}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|seafire_mk17}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Spitfire Mk I-V}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk1}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfiremkiia}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfiremkiia_ep}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfiremkii}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk5b_notrop}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk5b}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk5b_italy}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Spitfire Mk I-V}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk1}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfiremkiia}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfiremkiia_ep}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfiremkii}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk5b_notrop}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk5b}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk5b_italy}}
−
{{Navigation-Line|Spitfire Mk IX}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_ix_early}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_ix_plagis}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_ix_usa}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_ix_ussr}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk14c}}
+
{{Navigation-Line|Spitfire Mk IX-XIV}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_ix_early}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_ix_plagis}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_ix_usa}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_ix_ussr}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk9c_iaf}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|spitfire_mk14c}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Typhoon}}{{Specs-Link|typhoon_mk1a}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Typhoon}}{{Specs-Link|typhoon_mk1a}}
  
−
{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Twin-engine fighters'''}}{{Specs-Link|beaufighter_mkx}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|mosquito_fb_mk6}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|mosquito_fb_mk18}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|mosquito_fb_mk26_china}}
+
{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Strike aircraft'''}}{{Specs-Link|beaufighter_mkx}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|beaufighter_mk21}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|hurricane_mk4}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|mosquito_fb_mk6}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|mosquito_fb_mk18}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|mosquito_fb_mk26_china}}
  
 
{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Bombers'''}}
 
{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Bombers'''}}
Line 28: Line 26:
 
{{Navigation-Line|Havoc}}{{Specs-Link|intruder_mk_1}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Havoc}}{{Specs-Link|intruder_mk_1}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Hudson}}{{Specs-Link|hudson_mk_v}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Hudson}}{{Specs-Link|hudson_mk_v}}
−
{{Navigation-Line|Lancaster}}{{Specs-Link|lancaster_mk1}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|lancaster_mk3}}&nbsp;(Defensive)
+
{{Navigation-Line|Lancaster}}{{Specs-Link|lancaster_mk1}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|lancaster_mk3}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|lancaster_mr7_france}}&nbsp;(Defensive)
 
{{Navigation-Line|SB2U}}{{Specs-Link|sb2u-2}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|SB2U}}{{Specs-Link|sb2u-2}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Stirling}}{{Specs-Link|stirling_mk1}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|stirling_mk3}}&nbsp;(Defensive)
 
{{Navigation-Line|Stirling}}{{Specs-Link|stirling_mk1}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|stirling_mk3}}&nbsp;(Defensive)
Line 34: Line 32:
 
{{Navigation-Line|V-156}}{{Specs-Link|v_156_b1}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|V-156}}{{Specs-Link|v_156_b1}}
 
{{Navigation-Line|Wellington}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk1c}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk1c_luftwaffe}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk1c_late}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk3}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk10}}&nbsp;(Defensive)
 
{{Navigation-Line|Wellington}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk1c}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk1c_luftwaffe}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk1c_late}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk3}}&nbsp;(Defensive){{-}}{{Specs-Link|wellington_mk10}}&nbsp;(Defensive)
 +
 +
{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Utility helicopters'''}}{{Specs-Link|wessex_mk5}}
  
 
{{Navigation-End}}
 
{{Navigation-End}}
 +
 +
Note that the SB2U-2, the single American plane armed with the Browning .303, has a unique gun with lower accuracy than the ones found on British planes.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
Line 41: Line 43:
  
 
=== Available ammunition ===
 
=== Available ammunition ===
−
''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).''
+
<!-- ''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|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
 +
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP|Armour-piercing}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
 +
* '''Tracers:''' {{Annotation|I-T|Incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I-T|Incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}
 +
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|I|Incendiary}}
 +
 
 +
The British version of the Browning comes with a very potent incendiary round, which is capable of setting even the toughest adversary alight. The armour-piercing incendiary round shares this destructiveness, which is why the use of either Stealth or Tracer ammunition belts is recommended. Unlike the original American variant, the British Default belt is somewhat usable due to a lower amount of ball rounds, but researching the belts should still be a relatively high priority.
  
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
−
''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.''
+
<!-- ''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.'' -->
 +
The 7.7 mm Browning is similar in performance to the American [[Browning (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning]].
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! colspan="7" |Comparable machine guns to Browning (7.7 mm)
 +
|-
 +
!
 +
!Name
 +
!Year of Creation
 +
!Mass
 +
!Rounds Per Minute
 +
!Ammunition
 +
!Feed Type
 +
|-
 +
|▄
 +
|'''Browning (7.7 mm)'''
 +
|1935
 +
|14 kg
 +
|1,000 RPM
 +
|7.7 x 56 mm
 +
|Belt
 +
|-
 +
|▃
 +
|[[Browning (7.62 mm)]]
 +
|1919
 +
|14 kg
 +
|1,000 RPM
 +
|7.62 x 63 mm
 +
|Belt
 +
|-
 +
|▅
 +
|[[Type 92 navy (7.7 mm)]]
 +
|1932
 +
|8 kg
 +
|600 RPM
 +
|7.7 x 56 mm R
 +
|Drum
 +
|-
 +
|▄
 +
|[[Darne 1933 (7.5 mm)]]
 +
|1916
 +
|8.4 kg
 +
|1,350 RPM
 +
|7.5 x 54 mm MAS
 +
|Belt
 +
|-
 +
|▄
 +
|[[Breda-SAFAT (7.7 mm)]]
 +
|1935
 +
|12.5 kg
 +
|900 RPM
 +
|7.7 x 56 mm R
 +
|Belt
 +
|-
 +
|▀
 +
|[[MG 17 (7.92 mm)]]
 +
|1934
 +
|10.2 kg
 +
|1,200 RPM
 +
|7.92 x 57 mm
 +
|Belt
 +
|-
 +
|▂
 +
|[[ShKAS (7.62 mm)]]
 +
|1932
 +
|10.5 kg
 +
|1,800 RPM
 +
|7.62 x 54 mm R
 +
|Belt
 +
|-
 +
|▄
 +
|[[MAC 1934 (7.5 mm)]]
 +
|1934
 +
|10.7 kg
 +
|1,350 RPM
 +
|7.5 x 54 mm MAS
 +
|Belt/Magazine
 +
|}
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
Line 62: Line 148:
  
 
* Pitiful damage against aircraft structures such as spars and skin (same as other LMGs)
 
* Pitiful damage against aircraft structures such as spars and skin (same as other LMGs)
−
* High damage dropoff (same as other LMGs)
+
* High damage drop-off (same as other LMGs)
 
* Poor stock belts with relatively high ball round content
 
* Poor stock belts with relatively high ball round content
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''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>.''
+
<!-- ''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 original main aircraft-mounted machine gun for Britain was the [[Vickers (7.7 mm)|Vickers]], a World War I design that was mostly unchanged from the guns used by the British Army Machine Gun Corps. In the inter-war period, the United States and the United Kingdom both evolved their aircraft designs and recognized it was better if newer aircraft mounted their machine guns on the wings instead of the fuselage. This change would necessitate using a new machine gun which the Air Ministry requested in 1930. In 1931, Colt Firearms in the United States, who collaborated with the Belgian company FN, presented their new aircraft variant of the [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|M1919A4 Browning]] Machine Gun to the Air Ministry. The Air Ministry ordered their first 60 Brownings in 1936, but they required some changes to the design. The most significant change is the conversion to open bolt from the original closed bolt design. This change was done to reduce the risk the cordite propellant used in British ammunition would "cook off" or get so hot the gun would start firing on its own. The modification meant the guns could no be synchronized to fire through a propeller, but it was mostly irrelevant due to the switch to wing-mounts.
 +
 
 +
The Browning was first mounted on biplane fighters like the Gloster [[Gladiator (Family)|Gladiator]] or Hawker [[Fury (Disambiguation)|Fury]], replacing the Vickers guns previously used, but it would more notably used on Britain's primary fighters of the war, the Supermarine [[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]] and Hawker [[Hurricane (Family)|Hurricane]]. These new fighters had eight guns based on calculations made by Captain F.W. "Gunner" Hill, who concluded that eight guns each capable of 1,000 rounds per minute would be the optimal armament for future fighters in 1934. However, during the Battle of Britain in 1940, this configuration was found to be obsolete leading to the development of [[Hispano Mk.II (20 mm)|Hispano Mk.II]] cannon for these fighters to provide more firepower. These new cannon armed fighters did however, keep four of the outboard Brownings in place due to the outboard cannons freeze in the air. However, this problem would be fixed near the end of the war with the [[Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)|Hispano Mk.V]] which would lead to the Browning being phased out.
 +
 
 +
Along with their fighters, the .303 Browning was used in fixed mounts on the Fairey Fulmar naval reconnaissance aircraft and early models of their bombers such as the Bristol [[Blenheim Mk IV|Blenheim]], Fairey Battle, Handley Page [[Hampden (Family)|Hampden]], the American lend-lease Martin Maryland and Baltimore, Fairey [[Swordfish Mk I|Swordfish]], American Lockheed [[Hudson Mk V (Great Britain)|Hudson]] and Douglas [[Boston Mk I (Great Britain)|Boston]], Blackburn Skua, and Bristol [[Beaufort Mk VIII|Beaufort]]. It was also used in electrically-operated turrets made by Boulton Paul and Nash & Thompson, and continued to see use in the fighter-bombers and night fighters of the de Havillard [[Mosquito (Family)|Mosquito]] aircraft even after it began getting phased for the Hispano cannons.Thanks to lend-lease, the USSR also get to use the .303 Brownings on the [[Hurricane Mk IIB (USSR)|Hurricane Mk IIB]] <nowiki/>and fighters of the Hurricane design. According to Soviet pilots, it was as reliable as their own [[ShKAS (7.62 mm)|ShKAS]] machine guns, but frequently failed when exposed to dust required cloth covers for the feeding and ejector port.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
−
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
+
<!--''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''-->
 +
 
 +
;Videos
 +
{{Youtube-gallery|cCkvyjGQ2xg|'''Britain's aircraft-mounted .303 Browning machine gun with weapons expert Jonathan Ferguson''' - ''Royal Armouries''|jqq3Jf3Jpxo|'''British .303 Browning Mk II* Aircraft Machine Gun''' - ''Forgotten Weapons''}}
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
Line 81: Line 175:
  
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''encyclopedia page on the weapon;''
 
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
  
 
{{Aircraft machine guns}}
 
{{Aircraft machine guns}}
−
 
 
[[Category:Aircraft machine guns]]
 
[[Category:Aircraft machine guns]]

Latest revision as of 12:16, 18 July 2024

Description

The Browning (7.7 mm) is a Browning M1919 machine gun adapted to fire the British .303 round (7.7 mm) and is seen predominantly on British aircraft.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

Vehicles equipped with this weapon
Fighters 
Boomerang  ▄Boomerang Mk I · ▄Boomerang Mk II
Gladiator  ▄Gladiator Mk I · ␗Gladiator Mk I · Gladiator Mk II · Gladiator Mk IIF · Sea Gladiator Mk I · Gladiator Mk IIS · Tuck's Gladiator Mk II
Hurricane  Hurricane Mk I/L · Hurricane Mk.I/L FAA M · ▄Hurricane Mk I/L · Sea Hurricane Mk IB · Hurricane Mk IIB/Trop
Seafire  Seafire LF Mk.III · ▄Seafire LF Mk.III · Seafire F Mk XVII
Spitfire Mk I-V  Spitfire Mk Ia · Spitfire Mk IIa · Spitfire Mk.IIa Venture I · Spitfire Mk IIb · Spitfire Mk Vb · Spitfire Mk Vb/trop · ▄Spitfire Mk Vb/trop
Spitfire Mk IX-XIV  Spitfire F Mk IX · Plagis' Spitfire LF Mk IXc · ▃Spitfire LF Mk IXc · ▂Spitfire Mk IXc · Spitfire Mk IXc · Spitfire F Mk XIVc
Typhoon  Typhoon Mk Ia
Strike aircraft  Beaufighter Mk X · Beaufighter Mk 21 (Defensive) · Hurricane Mk IV · Mosquito FB Mk VI · Mosquito FB Mk XVIII · Mosquito FB.Mk.26
Bombers 
Beaufort  Beaufort Mk VIII (Defensive)
Blenheim  Blenheim Mk IV
Boston  ▄Boston Mk I
Halifax  Halifax B Mk IIIa (Defensive)
Hampden  Hampden Mk I · Hampden TB Mk I · ▂Hampden TB Mk I
Havoc  ▄Havoc Mk I
Hudson  ▄Hudson Mk V
Lancaster  Lancaster B Mk I (Defensive) · Lancaster B Mk III (Defensive) · Lancaster MR.7 (Defensive)
SB2U  SB2U-2
Stirling  Stirling B Mk I (Defensive) · Stirling B Mk III (Defensive)
Sunderland  Sunderland Mk IIIa · Sunderland Mk V
V-156  V-156-B1
Wellington  Wellington Mk Ic (Defensive) · ▀Wellington Mk Ic (Defensive) · Wellington Mk Ic/L (Defensive) · Wellington Mk III (Defensive) · Wellington Mk X (Defensive)
Utility helicopters  Wessex HU Mk.5

Note that the SB2U-2, the single American plane armed with the Browning .303, has a unique gun with lower accuracy than the ones found on British planes.

General info

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

Available ammunition

  • Default: T · AP · AP-I · Ball · I
  • Universal: T · AP · AP-I · AP-I · I
  • Tracers: I-T · AP-I · I-T · AP-I
  • Stealth: AP-I · AP-I · I

The British version of the Browning comes with a very potent incendiary round, which is capable of setting even the toughest adversary alight. The armour-piercing incendiary round shares this destructiveness, which is why the use of either Stealth or Tracer ammunition belts is recommended. Unlike the original American variant, the British Default belt is somewhat usable due to a lower amount of ball rounds, but researching the belts should still be a relatively high priority.

Comparison with analogues

The 7.7 mm Browning is similar in performance to the American 7.62 mm Browning.

Comparable machine guns to Browning (7.7 mm)
Name Year of Creation Mass Rounds Per Minute Ammunition Feed Type
▄ Browning (7.7 mm) 1935 14 kg 1,000 RPM 7.7 x 56 mm Belt
▃ Browning (7.62 mm) 1919 14 kg 1,000 RPM 7.62 x 63 mm Belt
▅ Type 92 navy (7.7 mm) 1932 8 kg 600 RPM 7.7 x 56 mm R Drum
▄ Darne 1933 (7.5 mm) 1916 8.4 kg 1,350 RPM 7.5 x 54 mm MAS Belt
▄ Breda-SAFAT (7.7 mm) 1935 12.5 kg 900 RPM 7.7 x 56 mm R Belt
▀ MG 17 (7.92 mm) 1934 10.2 kg 1,200 RPM 7.92 x 57 mm Belt
▂ ShKAS (7.62 mm) 1932 10.5 kg 1,800 RPM 7.62 x 54 mm R Belt
▄ MAC 1934 (7.5 mm) 1934 10.7 kg 1,350 RPM 7.5 x 54 mm MAS Belt/Magazine

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:

  • High rate of fire
  • Tracer belts are composed entirely of incendiary bullets which are effective at setting fires
  • Has higher velocity, accuracy and is less prone to jamming than other LMGs such as the MG 15 and ShKAS
  • On planes with Hispano cannons and Browning machine guns, the .303 tracers can be used to aim the 20 mm shells

Cons:

  • Pitiful damage against aircraft structures such as spars and skin (same as other LMGs)
  • High damage drop-off (same as other LMGs)
  • Poor stock belts with relatively high ball round content

History

The original main aircraft-mounted machine gun for Britain was the Vickers, a World War I design that was mostly unchanged from the guns used by the British Army Machine Gun Corps. In the inter-war period, the United States and the United Kingdom both evolved their aircraft designs and recognized it was better if newer aircraft mounted their machine guns on the wings instead of the fuselage. This change would necessitate using a new machine gun which the Air Ministry requested in 1930. In 1931, Colt Firearms in the United States, who collaborated with the Belgian company FN, presented their new aircraft variant of the M1919A4 Browning Machine Gun to the Air Ministry. The Air Ministry ordered their first 60 Brownings in 1936, but they required some changes to the design. The most significant change is the conversion to open bolt from the original closed bolt design. This change was done to reduce the risk the cordite propellant used in British ammunition would "cook off" or get so hot the gun would start firing on its own. The modification meant the guns could no be synchronized to fire through a propeller, but it was mostly irrelevant due to the switch to wing-mounts.

The Browning was first mounted on biplane fighters like the Gloster Gladiator or Hawker Fury, replacing the Vickers guns previously used, but it would more notably used on Britain's primary fighters of the war, the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane. These new fighters had eight guns based on calculations made by Captain F.W. "Gunner" Hill, who concluded that eight guns each capable of 1,000 rounds per minute would be the optimal armament for future fighters in 1934. However, during the Battle of Britain in 1940, this configuration was found to be obsolete leading to the development of Hispano Mk.II cannon for these fighters to provide more firepower. These new cannon armed fighters did however, keep four of the outboard Brownings in place due to the outboard cannons freeze in the air. However, this problem would be fixed near the end of the war with the Hispano Mk.V which would lead to the Browning being phased out.

Along with their fighters, the .303 Browning was used in fixed mounts on the Fairey Fulmar naval reconnaissance aircraft and early models of their bombers such as the Bristol Blenheim, Fairey Battle, Handley Page Hampden, the American lend-lease Martin Maryland and Baltimore, Fairey Swordfish, American Lockheed Hudson and Douglas Boston, Blackburn Skua, and Bristol Beaufort. It was also used in electrically-operated turrets made by Boulton Paul and Nash & Thompson, and continued to see use in the fighter-bombers and night fighters of the de Havillard Mosquito aircraft even after it began getting phased for the Hispano cannons.Thanks to lend-lease, the USSR also get to use the .303 Brownings on the Hurricane Mk IIB and fighters of the Hurricane design. According to Soviet pilots, it was as reliable as their own ShKAS machine guns, but frequently failed when exposed to dust required cloth covers for the feeding and ejector port.

Media

Videos
Britain's aircraft-mounted .303 Browning machine gun with weapons expert Jonathan Ferguson - Royal Armouries
British .303 Browning Mk II* Aircraft Machine Gun - Forgotten Weapons

See also

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;
  • references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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


Aircraft machine guns
USA 
7.62 mm  Browning · M134 Minigun
12.7 mm  GAU-19 · M2 Browning · M3 Browning
Germany 
7.62 mm  MG3
7.92 mm  MG 15 · MG 17 · MG 81
12.7 mm  FN M3P
13 mm  MG 131
USSR 
7.62 mm  DA · GShG-7.62 · PKT · PV-1 · ShKAS
12.7 mm  A-12.7 · Berezin UB · TKB-481 · YaK-B
Britain 
7.62 mm  FN 60.30 · L8A1
7.7 mm  Browning · Lewis · Vickers E · Vickers K
Japan 
7.7 mm  Te-1 · Type 89 · Type 89 'special' · Type 92 · Type 97 navy
7.92 mm  Type 1 · Type 98
12.7 mm  Ho-103 · Ho-104
13 mm  Type 2
13.2 mm  Type 3
China 
12.7 mm  QJK99-12.7-1
Italy 
7.7 mm  Breda-SAFAT · Lewis
7.92 mm  FN Browning
12.7 mm  Breda-SAFAT · FN M3M · Scotti
France 
7.5 mm  Darne 1933 · Fabrique Nationale Mle 38 · FN Browning · MAC 1934 · MAC 1934T · Mle 33 · Mle 1923
7.62 mm  PKA
7.92 mm  FN-Browning M.36 No.3 · FN-Browning M.36 No.4
Sweden 
7.7 mm  FN-Browning M.36 No.3
8 mm  Ksp m/22 · Ksp m/22 Fh · Ksp m/22 Fv · Ksp m/22-37 R
12.7 mm  Akan m/39A · Akan m/40 · Akan m/45 · LKk/42
13.2 mm  Akan m/39 · Akan m/39A

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