M4 (37 mm)

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This page is about the aircraft cannon M4 (37 mm). For the tank armament, see M4 (105 mm). For other uses, see M4 (Disambiguation).

Description

The M4 (37 mm) (officially the 37 mm Automatic Gun, M4) is an American autocannon firing 37x145mmR cartridges. It is predominantly seen on the P-39 Airacobra series of fighters, and on the early P-63 Kingcobra fighters as well (namely the P-63A-5 and ▂P-63A-5 in-game).

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

American:

Soviet:

General info

The 37 mm autocannon on the P-39 and P-63 has the ability to delete most fighters if a 37 mm HE shells hit. However, the 37 mm suffer from poor trajectory and a relatively low rate of fire compared to other large caliber autocannons.

A specific note for the 37 mm belts in-game is that the Soviet P-39 and P-63 fighters do not have any belt options available. This is due to the historical note that the US did not supply any armour-piercing 37 mm rounds to the Soviets, as they did not consider the P-39 and P-63 for tank-busting duties.

Available shells

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).

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns, that have firepower equal to these type of weapons.

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.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 30 rounds loaded, can last an entire round with good trigger discipline.
  • One hit will usually either directly destroy a single engine fighter or damage it enough to prompt the pilot to return to base

Cons:

  • Very slow muzzle velocity, requiring a lot of lead to score a hit in a dogfight
  • Self destroying HE shells, which limits the range at which they can be used.
  • Absolutely useless AP shells, which struggles even with light tanks.
  • Very slow rate of fire
  • Inaccurate

History

The 37 mm autocannon had its root in 1921, designed by famed American firearms designer John M. Browning. Browning and Colt refined the design and was tested as the 37 mm T9 autocannon. It was accepted as the 37 mm Automatic Gun, M4, intended for a anti-aircraft weapon for intercepting and shooting down large aircraft.

The 37 mm cannon were mounted onto the P-39 and P-63 series of fighters, but proved unpopular with the pilots. The trajectory drooped harshly over distance and in night time operations, the muzzle flash could blind the pilot.

Media

An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

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


USA aircraft cannons
20 mm  AN/M2 · Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 0 · Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 3 · FMC T-160
  M3 · M24A1 · M39 · M39A1 · M39A2 · M39A3 · M61A1 · M195 · M197 · Mk 11 · Mk 11 mod 5 · T31
30 mm  M230E-1 · XM140 · GAU-8/A · GAU-13/A · LR30
37 mm  M4 · M9 · M10
40 mm  M75 · M129
75 mm  M10 · T13E1
  Foreign:
20 mm  Hispano 404 (France) · Hispano Mk.II (Britain) · MG 151 (Germany) · Type 99 Model 1 (Japan)
30 mm  ADEN Mk.4 (Britain)

USSR aircraft cannons
20 mm  B-20E · B-20M · B-20S · ShVAK
23 mm  GSh-23L · NR-23 · NS-23 · NS-23K · PTB-23 · VYa-23
30 mm  2A42 · GSh-6-30 · GSh-30-1 · GSh-30-2 · GSh-30-2K · NR-30
37 mm  N-37 · N-37D · NS-37 · SH-37
45 mm  NS-45
  Foreign:
20 mm  Hispano Mk.II (Britain) · MG 151 (Germany)
37 mm  M4 (USA) · M10 (USA)