Breda-SAFAT (12.7 mm)

Description

The Breda-SAFAT (12.7 mm) on the MAS 561.

The 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT is an Italian all-purpose heavy machine gun. Modified from the Breda-SAFAT (7.7 mm) adapted to the 12.7x81 mmSR ammunition for better firepower.

In the game, the 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT equips the majority of Italian Interwar and WWII aircraft.

General info

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

Available ammunition

Aerial

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
T	9	8	4	3	0	0
Ball	9	8	4	3	0	0
AP	21	19	12	7	4	2
I	7	7	6	5	3	3
HEF	3	3	3	3	2	2
AP-I	20	18	11	6	4	2
API-T	21	19	12	7	4	3

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
T	760	0.04	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
Ball	760	0.03	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
AP	760	0.04	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
I	760	0.03	0	3	0	47°	56°	65°
HEF	760	0.04	0	0.25	1.02	47°	56°	65°
AP-I	760	0.03	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
API-T	760	0.04	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°

Naval

• Universal: AP-T · AI · Ball · IAI
• Incendiary: I · API-T · I · IAI
• AP belt: AP-T · AP · API-T · AP

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
IAI	3	2	2	2	2	2
AP-T	21	20	17	13	10	8
Ball	19	18	14	11	8	6
AI	2	2	2	2	2	2
API-T	21	20	17	13	11	8
I	20	19	16	12	10	8
AP	21	20	17	13	10	8

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
IAI	760	0.04	0	0.1	0.4	47°	56°	65°
AP-T	760	0.04	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
Ball	760	0.03	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
AI	760	0.04	0	3	1.02	47°	56°	65°
API-T	760	0.04	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
I	760	0.03	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°
AP	760	0.04	-	-	-	47°	56°	65°

Comparison with analogues

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

Usage in battles

This gun is the staple of Italian aircraft weapons from rank I through to rank IV. Nearly all aircraft- that is, all aircraft save for the foreign premiums and the Ju 87 variants, have at least two of these guns. It is often equipped with other guns as well. While good at lower BRs and ranks, starting at rank III/BR 3.7, these guns begin to lose their effectiveness and destructive power. Fortunately, usually Italian planes starting from that BR are equipped with MG151/20s as either wing-mounted or centre-mounted Motorkanone to provide sufficient damage output.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• IAI (explosive) bullets
• Early-game API-T Tracer belts
• Air Targets belts
• Comes on planes with absolutely stunning performance, with playstyles comparable to rank III Spitfires
• Usually centre-mounted on the engine cowling, just like MG 131s
• Shreds through aircraft parts and modules if you aim precisely
• Relatively accurate
• Good early-game damage, especially in reserves, where belts of air targets and tracer simply shred through other biplanes, soft ground targets and reserves

Cons:

• Anaemic performance upwards of rank III.
• Low rate of fire compared to contemporary .50-calibre guns (700 rounds per minute, as opposed to 750 rounds per minute on early M2s, 768 on late-game M2s, 798 on Berezin's and 900 on MG131s and Ho-103s)
• Lower muzzle velocity compared to contemporary guns
• Damage becomes punctual beginning at higher ranks

History

In the 1930s the Italian Regio Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) ordered the development of new machine guns for Italian fighters and bombers. The government ordered two companies of Breda and SAFAT to build their machine guns for the competition which had the Breda design based on the Browning won their favor. SAFAT's parent company FIAT attempted to contest the decision, but lost their dispute lead to SAFAT getting merged with Breda to create the arms designer Breda-SAFAT. The original guns were chambered for .303 British, but the company soon made a variant chambered in 12.7x81mmSR following the trend of heavy machine gun cartridges used by other nations. The short-recoil Breda-SAFAT was intended to be equal or superior to contemporary machine guns. It was liked by Italian pilots for its long range and hitting power and armorers for its reliability, but it was heavy, had a low muzzle a modest rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute compare the 1,000 rpm used on contemporary weapons from other nations, and the High-Explosive-Incendiary-Tracer ammunition was ineffective. In addition, the Italians did not develop their own 20mm cannon instead purchasing German MG 151 cannons to mount on their Macchi C. 205 Veltro, FIAT G.55 Centauro, and Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario fighters. While adequate for 1935, the Italian fighter armament of two 12.7mm Breda-SAFATs occasionally complimented by two Breda-SAFAT 7.7mm machine guns was well obsolete by 1940. However, almost every fighter and bomber used by the Regio Aeronautica under Mussolini would be armed with these two calibres of machines and the design survived into the 1970s as a anti-aircraft gun most notably in Syria.

Media

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• 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

Naval machine guns
USA
7.62 mm	M73
12.7 mm	AN-M2
Germany
7.62 mm	MG-3
7.92 mm	MG08 pattern 1908 · MG15 · MG34
13.2 mm	Hotchkiss
15 mm	MG M38(t)
USSR
7.62 mm	Maxim
12.7 mm	DShK
14.5 mm	KPV
Britain
7.62 mm	FN MAG
7.7 mm	Lewis 1916 · Vickers GO No.5
12.7 mm	Vickers Mk.V
Japan
6.5 mm	Maxim · Type 38 pattern 1907
7.7 mm	Type 89 · Type 92
13.2 mm	Type 93
Italy
6.5 mm	Breda Mod.30 · Fiat Model 26
12.7 mm	Breda-SAFAT
13.2 mm	Breda Model 31
France
7.7 mm	Darne M1922
7.92 mm	Hotchkiss pattern 1914
13.2 mm	Browning · Model 1929 Hotchkiss