Difference between revisions of "ShKAS (7.62 mm)"

From War Thunder Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Visual (beta)Wikitext
(→‎Vehicles equipped with this weapon: Added Su-8)
(→‎History: i edited history and see also section)
Line 55: Line 55:
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
[[File:ShKAS_feed_system_operation.png|350px|thumb|right|A diagram of the operation of the '''{{PAGENAME}}''' machine gun with identification of parts.]]
 
[[File:ShKAS_feed_system_operation.png|350px|thumb|right|A diagram of the operation of the '''{{PAGENAME}}''' machine gun with identification of parts.]]
−
The designers Boris Shpitalniy and Irinarkh Komaritsky departed from traditional methods of feeding belt linked ammunition into the ShKAS and utilised a feed design nicknamed "bird-cage" or "squirrel-cage".<ref name="Hogg"></ref> Even declassified documents regarding the United States' evaluation of the feed system stated, ''"…an interesting departure was made from the heretofore orthodox practice of feeding ammunition to a gun of this caliber [sic]."'' <ref name="Chinn"></ref>
+
The designers Boris Shpitalniy and Irinarkh Komaritsky departed from traditional methods of feeding belt linked ammunition into the ShKAS and utilised a feed design nicknamed "bird-cage" or "squirrel-cage".<ref name="Hogg" /> Even declassified documents regarding the United States' evaluation of the feed system stated, ''"…an interesting departure was made from the heretofore orthodox practice of feeding ammunition to a gun of this caliber [sic]."'' <ref name="Chinn" />
  
 
The ammunition belt enters the feed cage forward of the firing chamber. When the gun is fired, a gas piston actuates an arm connected to the cylindrical feed cage, rotating it one position to introduce the new bullet. As the feed cage (holding ten rounds) rotates a helical groove and guides the bullets rearward. Through this process of working the bullets rearwards, they are automatically delinked from the metal disintegrating link belt. The rounds make it to the final position at the bottom of the drum where they are then chambered into the receiver, ready to be fired.
 
The ammunition belt enters the feed cage forward of the firing chamber. When the gun is fired, a gas piston actuates an arm connected to the cylindrical feed cage, rotating it one position to introduce the new bullet. As the feed cage (holding ten rounds) rotates a helical groove and guides the bullets rearward. Through this process of working the bullets rearwards, they are automatically delinked from the metal disintegrating link belt. The rounds make it to the final position at the bottom of the drum where they are then chambered into the receiver, ready to be fired.
Line 68: Line 68:
 
=== 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|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AI|Adjustment incendiary}}
 
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|T|Tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|Ball|Omni-purpose}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AI|Adjustment incendiary}}
 
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AI|Adjustment incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
 
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AI|Adjustment incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
Line 78: Line 79:
 
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
−
!colspan = "7"| Comparable machine guns to {{PAGENAME}}
+
! colspan="7" | Comparable machine guns to {{PAGENAME}}
 
|-
 
|-
 
!
 
!
Line 90: Line 91:
 
| ▃
 
| ▃
 
| [[Browning (7.62 mm)]]
 
| [[Browning (7.62 mm)]]
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1919
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1919
 
| 14 kg
 
| 14 kg
−
| style="text-align:center;"|600 RPM
+
| style="text-align:center;" |600 RPM
 
| 7.62 x 63 mm
 
| 7.62 x 63 mm
−
| style="text-align:center;"| Belt
+
| style="text-align:center;" | Belt
 
|-
 
|-
 
| ▅
 
| ▅
 
| [[Type 92 navy (7.7 mm)]]
 
| [[Type 92 navy (7.7 mm)]]
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1932
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1932
 
| 8 kg
 
| 8 kg
−
| style="text-align:center;"|600 RPM
+
| style="text-align:center;" |600 RPM
 
| 7.7 x 56 mm R
 
| 7.7 x 56 mm R
−
| style="text-align:center;"| Drum
+
| style="text-align:center;" | Drum
 
|-
 
|-
 
| ▄
 
| ▄
 
| [[Darne 1933 (7.5 mm)]]
 
| [[Darne 1933 (7.5 mm)]]
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1916
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1916
 
| 8.4 kg
 
| 8.4 kg
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1,100 RPM
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1,100 RPM
 
| 7.5 x 54 mm MAS
 
| 7.5 x 54 mm MAS
−
| style="text-align:center;"| Belt
+
| style="text-align:center;" | Belt
 
|-
 
|-
 
| ▄
 
| ▄
 
| [[Breda-SAFAT_(7.7_mm)|Breda-SAFAT (7.7 mm)]]
 
| [[Breda-SAFAT_(7.7_mm)|Breda-SAFAT (7.7 mm)]]
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1935
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1935
 
| 12.5 kg
 
| 12.5 kg
−
| style="text-align:center;"|850 RPM
+
| style="text-align:center;" |850 RPM
 
| 7.7 x 56 mm R
 
| 7.7 x 56 mm R
−
| style="text-align:center;"| Belt
+
| style="text-align:center;" | Belt
 
|-
 
|-
 
| ▀
 
| ▀
 
| [[MG 17 (7.92 mm)]]
 
| [[MG 17 (7.92 mm)]]
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1934
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1934
 
| 10.2 kg
 
| 10.2 kg
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1,150 RPM
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1,150 RPM
 
| 7.92 x 57 mm
 
| 7.92 x 57 mm
−
| style="text-align:center;"| Belt
+
| style="text-align:center;" | Belt
 
|-
 
|-
 
| ▄
 
| ▄
 
| [[MAC 1934 (7.5 mm)]]
 
| [[MAC 1934 (7.5 mm)]]
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1934
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1934
 
| 10.7 kg
 
| 10.7 kg
−
| style="text-align:center;"|1,450 RPM
+
| style="text-align:center;" |1,450 RPM
 
| 7.5 x 54 mm MAS
 
| 7.5 x 54 mm MAS
−
| style="text-align:center;"|Belt/Magazine
+
| style="text-align:center;" |Belt/Magazine
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
Line 145: Line 146:
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
 +
 
* The fastest firing rifle-calibre machine gun in WWII
 
* The fastest firing rifle-calibre machine gun in WWII
 
* Every belt is extremely effective at causing fires on enemy aircraft (tracers and stealth are the most effective)
 
* Every belt is extremely effective at causing fires on enemy aircraft (tracers and stealth are the most effective)
Line 151: Line 153:
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
 +
 
* Can easily jam. It is recommended to fire in bursts lasting no longer than one second
 
* Can easily jam. It is recommended to fire in bursts lasting no longer than one second
  
 
== 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>.''
+
Shpitalny - Komaritsky Aircraft High-Speed Machine Gun. The first production ShKAS guns were made in 1933, and its first combat use was in the Spanish civil war.
 +
 
 +
By 1941, more than 34,000 ShKAS machine guns had been produced, and acquitted themselves very well in the field. They were made in several variants, including wing-mounted, flexible, and synchronized for different applications. Several other versions were experimented with or made in small quantity like the reciprocating-barrel UltraShKAS (rate of fire: 3000rpm) and a mechanical linking of two ShKAS guns to achieve a combined rate of 6400rpm. These were not widely used, though, as the 7.62m cartridge was unable to keep up with improvements in aircraft armor. Instead, the basic design was scaled up to produce the 20mm ShVAK cannon.
  
 
== 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.'' -->
 +
 
* [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm16506079 ShKAS Machine Gun - Video Documentary (Russian with Japanese subtitles; length = 6:18)]
 
* [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm16506079 ShKAS Machine Gun - Video Documentary (Russian with Japanese subtitles; length = 6:18)]
  
 
== 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;''
+
 
−
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''
+
* shVAK
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
Line 175: Line 181:
 
<ref name="Hogg">Hogg, I. V. (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Firearms. Secausus, NJ: Chartwell Books. ISBN:978-0-906286-41-8 p. 279.</ref>
 
<ref name="Hogg">Hogg, I. V. (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Firearms. Secausus, NJ: Chartwell Books. ISBN:978-0-906286-41-8 p. 279.</ref>
 
<ref name="Chinn">Chinn, G. M. (1952). The Machine Gun (7th ed., Vol. 2). Washington D.C: U.S. Department of the Navy. p. 78-79.</ref>
 
<ref name="Chinn">Chinn, G. M. (1952). The Machine Gun (7th ed., Vol. 2). Washington D.C: U.S. Department of the Navy. p. 78-79.</ref>
−
<ref name="Drabkin>Drabkin, A. (2007). Red air force at war Barbarossa and the retreat to Moscow - recollections o. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, U.K.: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN:1-84415-563-3.</ref>
+
<ref name="Drabkin">Drabkin, A. (2007). Red air force at war Barbarossa and the retreat to Moscow - recollections o. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, U.K.: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN:1-84415-563-3.</ref>
 
</references>
 
</references>
  

Revision as of 08:20, 10 May 2023

ShKAS sideview.jpg

Description

Side view of an ShKAS (7.62 mm) machine gun in the defensive turret of an Su-2 (M-82).


The ShKAS (7.62 mm) (Shpitalny-Komaritski Aviatsionny Skorostrelny or Shipitalny-Komaritski rapid-fire for aircraft – Russian: ШКАС - Шпитального-Комарицкого Авиационный Скорострельный) is a 7.62 mm caliber machine gun which was first produced in 1933 for usage in Soviet aircraft which saw action all the way through World War II in many of the fighters, attackers and bombers of the day. The ShKAS is a single chamber, gas-operated revolver-type machine gun in which a firing pin strikes the primer of the bullet in the chamber to fire the round.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

Vehicles equipped with this weapon
Fighters 
I-16  I-16 type 5 · ␗I-16 type 5 · I-16 type 10 · ␗I-16 type 10 · ␗I-16 type 17
  I-16 type 18 · I-16 type 24 · I-16 type 27 · I-16 type 28
I-153  I-153 M-62 · Zhukovsky's I-153-M62 · ␗I-153 M-62
I-180  I-180S
I-301  I-301
LaGG-3  LaGG-3-4
MiG-3  MiG-3-15 · MiG-3-15 (BK)
Yak-1  Yak-1
Twin-engine fighters  I-29 · Pe-3 (e) · Pe-3 (Defensive) · Pe-3bis (Defensive)
Attackers 
BB-1  BB-1
IL-2  IL-2 (1941) · IL-2 (1942) · ▀IL-2 (1942) · IL-2 M-82 · IL-2-37
IL-2M  IL-2M "Avenger" · IL-2M (1943) · IL-2M type 3
IL-10  IL-10
Su-2  Su-2 (M-82) · Su-2 MV-5 · Su-2 TSS-1
Su-6  Su-6 · Su-6 (AM-42) · Su-6 (M-71F)
Su-8  Su-8
Tandem MAI  Tandem MAI
Yak-2  Yak-2 KABB
Bombers 
Ar-2  Ar-2 (Defensive)
DB-3  ␗DB-3A (Defensive) · DB-3B (Defensive)
IL-4  IL-4 (Defensive)
KOR-1  KOR-1
MBR-2  MBR-2-M-34 (Defensive)
Pe-2  Pe-2-1 · Pe-2-31 · Pe-2-83 · Pe-2-110 · Pe-2-205 · Pe-2-359
Pe-8  Pe-8 (Defensive)
Po-2  Po-2 (Defensive)
SB-2M  SB 2M-100 (Defensive) · SB 2M-103 (Defensive) · SB 2M-103 MV-3 (Defensive)
  SB 2M-103U (Defensive) · ␗SB 2M-103U (Defensive) · SB 2M-103U MV-3 (Defensive) · SB 2M-105 (Defensive)
Yak-4  Yak-4
Yer-2  Yer-2 (M-105) (Defensive) · Yer-2 (M-105) TAT (Defensive) · Yer-2 (M-105R) LU (Defensive) · Yer-2 (M-105R) TAT (Defensive)

General info

A diagram of the operation of the ShKAS (7.62 mm) machine gun with identification of parts.

The designers Boris Shpitalniy and Irinarkh Komaritsky departed from traditional methods of feeding belt linked ammunition into the ShKAS and utilised a feed design nicknamed "bird-cage" or "squirrel-cage".[1] Even declassified documents regarding the United States' evaluation of the feed system stated, "…an interesting departure was made from the heretofore orthodox practice of feeding ammunition to a gun of this caliber [sic]." [2]

The ammunition belt enters the feed cage forward of the firing chamber. When the gun is fired, a gas piston actuates an arm connected to the cylindrical feed cage, rotating it one position to introduce the new bullet. As the feed cage (holding ten rounds) rotates a helical groove and guides the bullets rearward. Through this process of working the bullets rearwards, they are automatically delinked from the metal disintegrating link belt. The rounds make it to the final position at the bottom of the drum where they are then chambered into the receiver, ready to be fired.

One of the benefits of this feed system is during the camming of the rounds; there is relatively no drag on the ammunition allowing the gun to be fired at high rates of speed; however, prolonged actuation can provoke these guns to jam. Rates of fire could be regulated through changing of the holes in the gas regulator, three different hole sizes going from largest to smallest would slow down the rate of fire to a more moderate rate.

Quote icon.png

The ShKAS machine gun had a high rate of fire but it also had 48 ways of jamming. Some of them could be fixed immediately, some could not. And 1,800 rounds a minute was an insanely high rate of fire. If you pulled the trigger too long, the ShKAS would fire all its ammo in one go and that would be it!![3]

— Viktor M. Sinaisky - Soviet machine gun technician

Available ammunition

  • Default: T · Ball · Ball · AP-I · AI
  • Universal: AP-I · AI · API-T
  • Tracers: AP-I · API-T
  • Stealth: AP-I · AP-I · AP-I · AI
  • Armored targets (turret): AP-I · AP-I · AP-I · API-T
  • Universal (turret): API-T · API-T · API-T · AI

Comparison with analogues

Comparable machine guns to ShKAS (7.62 mm)
Name Year of Creation Mass Rounds Per Minute Ammunition Feed Type
▃ Browning (7.62 mm) 1919 14 kg 600 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 1,100 RPM 7.5 x 54 mm MAS Belt
▄ Breda-SAFAT (7.7 mm) 1935 12.5 kg 850 RPM 7.7 x 56 mm R Belt
▀ MG 17 (7.92 mm) 1934 10.2 kg 1,150 RPM 7.92 x 57 mm Belt
▄ MAC 1934 (7.5 mm) 1934 10.7 kg 1,450 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:

  • The fastest firing rifle-calibre machine gun in WWII
  • Every belt is extremely effective at causing fires on enemy aircraft (tracers and stealth are the most effective)
  • Incredibly easy to knock out gunners and pilots on enemy aircraft (or exposed crew members on ground and naval forces)
  • If fired in short bursts, most aircraft can make a belt last an entire game in realistic battle

Cons:

  • Can easily jam. It is recommended to fire in bursts lasting no longer than one second

History

Shpitalny - Komaritsky Aircraft High-Speed Machine Gun. The first production ShKAS guns were made in 1933, and its first combat use was in the Spanish civil war.

By 1941, more than 34,000 ShKAS machine guns had been produced, and acquitted themselves very well in the field. They were made in several variants, including wing-mounted, flexible, and synchronized for different applications. Several other versions were experimented with or made in small quantity like the reciprocating-barrel UltraShKAS (rate of fire: 3000rpm) and a mechanical linking of two ShKAS guns to achieve a combined rate of 6400rpm. These were not widely used, though, as the 7.62m cartridge was unable to keep up with improvements in aircraft armor. Instead, the basic design was scaled up to produce the 20mm ShVAK cannon.

Media

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • shVAK

External links

References

  1. ↑ Hogg, I. V. (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Firearms. Secausus, NJ: Chartwell Books. ISBN:978-0-906286-41-8 p. 279.
  2. ↑ Chinn, G. M. (1952). The Machine Gun (7th ed., Vol. 2). Washington D.C: U.S. Department of the Navy. p. 78-79.
  3. ↑ Drabkin, A. (2007). Red air force at war Barbarossa and the retreat to Moscow - recollections o. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, U.K.: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN:1-84415-563-3.


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

Retrieved from "https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=ShKAS_(7.62_mm)&oldid=162202"