20 mm caliber

"20mm" redirects here. For the model scale, seeList of scale model sizes.

20 mm caliberis a specific size of popularautocannonammunition. The dividing line between smaller-caliber weapons, commonly called "guns",from larger-caliber"cannons"(e.g.machine gunvs.autocannon), is conventionally taken to be the 20 mm round, the smallest caliber of autocannon. All 20 mmcartridgeshave an outsideprojectile(bullet) diameter andbarrelbore diameter of approximately 0.787 inches (20.0 mm). These projectiles are typically 75 to 127 mm (3–5 in) long, cartridge cases are typically 75 to 152 mm (3–6 in) long, and most areshells,with an explosive payload and detonatingfuze.

Weapons using this caliber range fromanti-materiel riflesandanti-tank riflesto aircraft autocannons andanti-aircraft guns.

Usage

A 20×102 mm round (second from left) with.50 BMGrounds, golf ball, and a stick of 168-pinSDRAMcomputer memory

Twenty millimeter caliber weapons are generally not used to target individual soldiers, but rather objects such as vehicles, buildings, or aircraft.

Types of ammunition

• High explosive(HE)
• High explosive incendiary(HEI)
• Armor-piercing(AP)
• Semi-armor-piercing high explosive incendiary(SAPHEI)
• Armour-piercing discarding sabot(APDS)
• High explosive fragmentation tracer (HEF-T)
• High explosive high capacity(HE-M)
• Penetrator with enhanced lateral effect (PELE)
• Target practice - inert projectile (i.e., PGU-27A/B)Used for training (TP)
• Target practice tracer - inert projectile with tracer material in base for visual trajectory tracking (i.e., PGU-30A/B) (TP-T)

20 mm weapons

Each weapon is listed with its cartridge type appended.

Current weapons

Weapon	Country of origin	Cartridge	Notes
Neopup PAW-20	South Africa	20×42 mm
Denel NTW-20	South Africa	20×82 mm Mauser
Denel Vektor GA-1	South Africa
Vidhwansak	India
Anzio 20mm rifle	United States	20×102 mm
Arash anti-materiel rifle	Iran
M61 Vulcan	United States
M197 electric cannon	United States
M39 cannon	United States
GIATM621	France
ZVI PL-20 Plamen	Czech Republic
NexterNarwhal 20A	France		Based on theM621
Şahi 20-102	Turkey
XM301	United States
Denel NTW-20	South Africa	20×110 mm Hispano
Metallic RT-20	Croatia
TruveloCMS 20x110mm	South Africa
Yugoimport-SDPRM71/08	Serbia		Single barrel development ofZastava M55
OerlikonKAE (KAA/KAB)	Switzerland	20×128 mm	Formerly known as Oerlikon 204GK/5TG
Meroka CIWS	Spain
Oerlikon KAD	Switzerland	20×139 mm	Formerly known as Hispano-Suiza HS.820
GIATM693/20 mm modèle F2	France
Rheinmetall Rh 202	Germany
Denel Land Systems GI-2	South Africa
NexterNarwhal 20B	France		Based on the20 mm F2

Historical weapons

Weapon	Country of origin	Cartridge	Notes
Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon	German Empire	20×70 mm RB
Oerlikon FF	Switzerland	20×72 mm RB
Type 99 cannon,model 1	Japan
Ikaria-Werke BerlinMG FF/M cannon	Nazi Germany	20×80 mm RB
Mauser MG 151/20	Nazi Germany	20×82 mm
Ho-5 cannon	Japanese Empire	20×94 mm
Berezin B-20	Soviet Union	20×99 mm R
ShVAK	Soviet Union
Helenius RK-20APH	Finland		Derivative of theHelenius RK-9712.7 mm anti-materiel rifle
Ghan-Krnka fortress rifle	Russian Empire	20.3×95 mm R	Bullet diameter 21 mm
Type 99 cannon,model 2	Japanese Empire	20×101 mm RB
Solothurn S-18/100	Switzerland	20×105 mm B
Boforsm/45	Sweden	20×110 mm
Bofors m/49	Sweden
Hispano-Suiza HS.404and derivatives	Switzerland
Oerlikon F, FFL	Switzerland	20×110 mm RB
Polsten	Poland	20×110 mm RB
ColtMk 12 cannon	United States	20×110 mm USN	Advanced derivative of the HS.404
Madsen 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon	Denmark	20×120 mm
Type 97 automatic cannon	Japanese Empire	20×124 mm
Mauser MG 213	Nazi Germany	20×135 mm
Solothurn S-18/1000anti-tank rifle	Switzerland	20×138 mm B
Solothurn S-18/1100anti-tank rifle	Switzerland
ST-5 20 mmAA gun	Switzerland
FlaK 30andFlaK 38single-barrel AA	Nazi Germany		Forerunner of Hispano-Suiza HS.820's post-war 20×139 mm round
Flakvierlingquadruple-barrel AA	Nazi Germany
MG C/30Laircraft gun	Nazi Germany
RheinmetallKwK 30andKwK 38	Nazi Germany
Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35 (Breda)	Kingdom of Italy
Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti)	Kingdom of Italy
Lahti L-39anti-tank rifle	Finland		Solothurn Long
Lahti L-40anti-aircraft gun	Finland
Nkm wz.38 FKanti-tank vehicle-mounted gun	Poland		Designated "heaviest machine gun", or "Najcięższy karabin maszynowy, Nkm",AA/AT (actually an autocannon)
Type 98 20 mm AA machine cannonandType 4 20 mm twin AA machine cannon	Japan	20×142 mm
Boforsm/40	Sweden	20×145 mm R
Pansarvärnsgevär m/42	Sweden	20×180 mm R	Recoilless rifle

Naming conventions

The usual nomenclature of ammunition indicates the diameter of projectile and the length of the cartridge that holds it; for example, 20×102 mm is a 20 mm projectile in a 102 mm long case.

Though this designation is often assumed to be unique, this is not always the case, e.g. there are three different 20×110 mm types which are not compatible. These may be distinguished in that some cartridge designations may include additional letters or names as a suffix, e.g. the various different types of 20×110 mm might be distinguished as20×110 mm Hispano,20×110 mm RBand20×110 mm USN.

Common suffixes

• Be.g. 20×138B:the cartridge has a belt which is used for headspacing, i.e. it helps ensure the correct positioning within the gun's chamber.
• Re.g. 20×145R:a rimmed cartridge: the diameter of the rim forming the base is larger than that of the cartridge case itself.
• RBe.g. Oerlikon 20×110RB:rebated rim, one where the rim is a smaller diameter than the case head allowing the extractor to follow it into the chamber, facilitating advanced-primer ignition, a recoil-moderating system.

See also

• .50 BMG
• .950 JDJ
• 14.5×114 mm
• 20×110mm USN
• 23 mm caliber
  • 23×115 mm
  • 23×152 mm
• 25 mm caliber
• 30 mm caliber

External links

• FAS: 20 mm Cannon Ammunition
• ATK produced 20, 25 & 30 mm caliber ammunition
• Rapid Fire: 20 mm Cartridge Data Table
• Rapid Fire: 20 mm Antitank Rifle Cartridges image
• Rapid Fire: 20 mm Autocannon Cartridges WWII image 1
• Rapid Fire: 20 mm Autocannon Cartridges WWII image 2
• Rapid Fire: 20 mm Autocannon Cartridges Post-WWII image