Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 0 (20 mm)

Description

The Browning Colt Mk12 is a 20 mm autocannon used by the United States Navy in many naval fighters and attack aircraft from the 1950s. It was a further development of the Hispano HS 404 cannon that had been on many British, French and some American planes. Both its rate of fire and muzzle velocity are high, making it easy to shoot down high speed targets.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• A-4B
• A-4E Early
• F11F-1
• F4D-1

General info

The cannon is capable of firing up to 1,000 rounds per minute, the shell velocity of all types is 1020 m/s and the one second burst mass is 1,825 kg. The explosive mass of HE shells is 14 g, enough to cause a significant amount of damage to a wing with the single hit. Its accuracy it quite good, however it has two times higher shell spread than for example the M3 Browning machine gun.

Available ammunition

The Mk 12 cannon fires 20 x 110 mm USN ammunition, which was developed from the 20 x 110 mm Hispano-Suiza ammunition used by the AN/M2 and AN/M3 cannons.

The Mk 12 Mod 0 cannon can be equipped with the following belts:

• Default: AP-T · HEI · HEI

These are comprised of Mk 106 HEI and Mk 108 AP-T rounds and are the stock belts that come with the cannon.

• Universal: AP-T · HEI

These general-purpose belt is made up half HEI rounds and half AP-T rounds.

• Ground targets: AP-T · AP-T · HEI · AP-I

Intended to be used against armoured ground targets, this belt is made up almost entirely of armour-piercing ammunition. It features Mk 106 HEI, Mk 107 AP-I, and Mk 108 AP-T rounds.

• Air targets: AP-T · HEI · AP-I · HEI

This belt is arranged in much the same way as the Universal belts. However, every fourth round is now a Mk 107 AP-I round.

• Stealth: AP-I · HEI · HEI · HEI

This belt contains the most HEI rounds of any available for the Mk 12, with Mk 106 HEI and Mk 107 AP-I rounds.

Penetration statistics
Belt	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Default	42	39	27	18	11	7
Universal	42	39	27	18	11	7
Ground targets	42	39	27	18	11	7
Air targets	42	39	27	18	11	7
Stealth	42	39	27	18	11	7

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:

• High rate of fire
• Good at intercepting high speed targets due to high muzzle velocity
• Rarely jams

Cons:

• Low amount of ammunition per gun
• Inaccurate when fired in long bursts

History

The Browning-Colt Mk 12 is a variant of the Hispano 404 series of automatic cannons. Developed in the 1950s, it uses the same basic design as the preceding M24A1, but this new design for the United States Navy and Marine Corps uses a lighter projectile for a better rate of fire and higher muzzle velocity. The Mk 12 Mod 0, the base model, came about after experience from the Korean War showed that the .50 calibre machine guns such as the M3 Browning was an insufficient armament for fighter jets. The Mk 12 was used on the F3H-2 Demon, F4D-1 Skyray, A-4 Skyhawk, early versions of the A-7 Corsair II, F11F-1 Tigers and most notably on the Vought F-8 Crusader which was dubbed the "last of the gunfighters" as the United States Armed Forces planned to move away completely from autocannons or guns in favour of missiles. The Mk 12 did not have an illustrious career on the F-8. Despite the nickname, the Mk 12 was prone to jamming during dog-fighting manoeuvres resulted in only four confirmed victories with the Mk 12 on the F-8. Internationally, it was used by Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Portugal who were all international customers of the A-4 Skyhawk, A-7 Corsair II, and F-8 Crusader. As of 2013, it is still in service with the Skyhawks of the Brazilian Navy and Argentinean Air Force.

Media

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

See also

• AN/M3 (20 mm)
• Hispano Mk.V (20 mm)
• M24A1 (20 mm)
• FMC T-160 (20 mm)
• M39A1 (20 mm)

External links

• NAVWEPS OP 1866 - 20-mm Aircraft Gun Mark 12 Mods 0, 2, and 3; Description, Operation and Maintenance (PDF - Download required for view!)

The following documents also contain information about the Mk 12 cannon, as well as other types:

• MIL-STD-637A - Machine and Automatic Guns and Machinegun Trainers Through 30-mm (PDF)
• NAVORD OP 2215 - Navy Gun Type Ammunition (PDF)
• Small-Caliber Ammunition Identification Guide, Volume 2 - 20-mm to 40-mm Cartridges (PDF)