scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C) (06/06/90)
From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)
was at no time ever armed with "pneumatic cannon" of any caliber.
The plane originally was to carry a pair of 30mm MK-108 (a normal 30mm
cannon made mostly out of sheet metal stampings.) These were a bit too
much for the airframe, so a pair of 20mm MK-151/20 cannon were installed
on production versions.
A prototype 162 crashed because the wooden wings had been weakened by
some acid present in the glue used on the structure. The pilot was killed,
and this accident delayed the whole program.
The Me 262 carried four 30mm MK-108 guns, but one version carried a single
high-velocity 40mm BK-5 gun.
The Me 163 Komet carried either a pair of 20mm MK-151/20 guns or a pair of
30mm MK-108 - I can't remember which off the top of my head.
No cannon installed on a German production aircraft was pneumatic. The
30mm MK-108 had a fairly low muzzle velocity (much less than the other two
30mm guns used by the Luftwaffe - the MK-101 and the MK-103.) The MK-103
was a long-barreled, extremely powerful weapon, and it was fitted to the
Dornier 335 Pfiel ("Arrow"). The MK-101 was over ten feet long, and quite
heavy. It was fitted to only a very few aircraft (it was a fine tank-killing
gun.)
--don't like snow, miss Deirdre, and wish I was still in Santa Cruz.