Vickers K (7.7 mm)

Description

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.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

This weapon is only mounted on defensive turrets in-game.

General info

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

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).

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

Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.

Pros:

Cons:

History

The origins of the Vickers K go back to before World War I. French civilian engineer André Virgile Paul Marie Berthier, already famous in France for his Berthier rifle and carbine, developed a machine gun around 1910 called the Fusil Mitrailleur Berthier Modèle 1910. He proposed the machine gun for infantry use but it was never adopted. Berthier would continue updating his design through World War I until after the war when he made his final version the Modèle 1920. While it was not accepted by the French to replace the Chautchaut rifles, the design was purchased by Vickers-Armstrong in 1925 for production at the Crayford factory as a replacement for the British Lewis gun. Like the future Bren gun, the Vickers-Berthier is gas-operated with a tilting breech block. In 1933, the design was adopted by British Indian Army. While the British Army did trial it, they instead decided to adopt the Bren.

The Vickers K is a development of the Vickers-Berthier taking the design and improving it for aircraft use with lighter moving parts, a cyclic rate adjustable between 950 and 1,200 rounds per minute, and a 300-round pan drum magazine replacing the original box magazines. The Vickers K was trialled against the Browning for service as an aircraft gun and lost due to the drum magazine creating problems for wing-mounts. However, the lack of supply of Brownings early in the war led to the Vickers K seeing use on some light bombers such as the Fairey Battle and Hampden, and it would be the main turret-mounted armament for the Royal Air Force. As the war progressed, however, the Royal Air Force got increasing numbers of Browning machine guns and started replacing their Vickers K machine guns. A significant number were transferred to Commonwealth Air Forces and would remain in use with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm on Torpedo Strike Reconnaissance aircraft such as the Fairey Swordfish. It would remain in use with the FAA until 1945 with the final squadron to use them being No 812 Squadron's Fairey Barracudas that performed piracy patrols in the waters around Hong Kong. While it stopped seeing service on aircraft, the Vickers K would continue to see service with the British Army and Royal Navy as the Vickers GO No.5.

Media

Vickers Gas-Operated Machine Gun (the Vickers 'K'): An Overview - Vickers MG Collection & Research Association

Vickers "K" - For Aircraft and the SAS/Long Range Desert Group - Forgotten Weapons

See also

• Vickers GO No.5 (7.7 mm): Naval variant of the Vickers K

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the weapon;
• other literature.