Talyn
Emissary
...The 20mm M39 Revolver AutoCannon
The M39 had its roots in an experimental German Mauser 20mm MG213C revolving cannon design following World War II. To the victors go the spoils, boys!. A captured gun (No. V6/10) was rebuilt by the U.S. Naval Gun Factory in 1946 and a second, third, and fourth rebuild, all with evolving modifications, became the experimental U.S. T74 cannon.
It had a single barrel with a five-chamber cylinder that revolved at the six o'clock position parallel to the bore. Gas-operated with a piston that ejected the spent casing from one of the cylinder's chambers while a spring-loaded rammer slid a new cartridge into an open chamber on each right-hand rotation, the gun was capable of firing 1,500 rounds per minute.
The American M39 first flew in combat during the latter part of the Korean War as the T160 gun system in the "GunVal" program, which saw four such guns installed in modified F-86F Sabres. The guns had 460 rounds of ammunition, enough for about 4.5 seconds of fire. Each gun weighed 162 pounds.
The guns were then first installed in production fighters starting in 1954 with the improved F-86H, which carried four M39s with 600 rounds of ammunition. Ultimately, more than 35,000 M39s would be produced, and it was the standard gun not only for the F-86H but also the F-100 Super Sabre, F-101A/C Voodoo, and F-5/E Freedom Fighter/Tiger fighters, as well as the B-57B bomber.
The circa 1955 F-86H Sabre at Pima. Note the two forward cannon slots by the air intake. Two more are on the other side of the fuselage, leaving the pilot sitting over four 20mm cannons and 600 rounds of ammo. This particular F-86 remained in the New Jersey Air National Guard until 1965, when it was sent to the boneyard.
The M39 had its roots in an experimental German Mauser 20mm MG213C revolving cannon design following World War II. To the victors go the spoils, boys!. A captured gun (No. V6/10) was rebuilt by the U.S. Naval Gun Factory in 1946 and a second, third, and fourth rebuild, all with evolving modifications, became the experimental U.S. T74 cannon.
It had a single barrel with a five-chamber cylinder that revolved at the six o'clock position parallel to the bore. Gas-operated with a piston that ejected the spent casing from one of the cylinder's chambers while a spring-loaded rammer slid a new cartridge into an open chamber on each right-hand rotation, the gun was capable of firing 1,500 rounds per minute.
The American M39 first flew in combat during the latter part of the Korean War as the T160 gun system in the "GunVal" program, which saw four such guns installed in modified F-86F Sabres. The guns had 460 rounds of ammunition, enough for about 4.5 seconds of fire. Each gun weighed 162 pounds.
The guns were then first installed in production fighters starting in 1954 with the improved F-86H, which carried four M39s with 600 rounds of ammunition. Ultimately, more than 35,000 M39s would be produced, and it was the standard gun not only for the F-86H but also the F-100 Super Sabre, F-101A/C Voodoo, and F-5/E Freedom Fighter/Tiger fighters, as well as the B-57B bomber.
The circa 1955 F-86H Sabre at Pima. Note the two forward cannon slots by the air intake. Two more are on the other side of the fuselage, leaving the pilot sitting over four 20mm cannons and 600 rounds of ammo. This particular F-86 remained in the New Jersey Air National Guard until 1965, when it was sent to the boneyard.
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