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Autocannon family by Bofors / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 (Bofors 40 mm L/60, Bofors 40 mm/60, Bofors 40/60 and the like), often referred to simply as the Bofors 40 mm gun or the Bofors gun,[3] is an anti-aircraft autocannon, designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. It was one of the most popular medium-weight anti-aircraft systems during World War II, used by the majority of the western Allies, and some Axis powers such as Nazi Germany and Hungary. A small number of the weapons remain in service today, and saw action as late as the Gulf War.
Bofors 40 mm gun | |
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![]() British Bofors 40 mm L/60 on Mk VII, Priddy's Hard, Gosport, United Kingdom | |
Type | Autocannon |
Place of origin | Sweden |
Service history | |
In service | 1934–present |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | See Wars |
Production history | |
Designer | AB Bofors |
Designed | 1930 |
Manufacturer | Bofors Defence (1932–2000) Zastava Arms (1970–present) Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur(1960-present) United Defense Industries (2000–2006) BAE Systems AB (2006–present) |
Produced | 1932–present |
No. built | >60,000 (L/60)[1] |
Variants | See variants |
Specifications | |
Mass | L/60: 1,981 kg (4,367 lb) |
Length | L/60: 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) |
Barrel length | L/60: 2,400 mm (7 ft 10 in) gun & breach |
Width | L/60: 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) |
Height | L/60: 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
Crew | 4[2] (dependent on use) |
Shell | 40×311mmR |
Shell weight | 0.9 kg (2 lb 0 oz) |
Caliber | 40 mm L/43 or L/60 (barrel + breach) |
Barrels | 1 or 2[2] |
Carriage | 522 kg (1,151 lb) |
Elevation | L/60: −5°/+90° (55°/s) L/70: −20°/+80° (57°/s) |
Traverse | Full 360° L/60: 50°/s L/70: 92°/s |
Rate of fire | 120 – 140 round/min |
Muzzle velocity | L/43: 700–730 m/s (2,300–2,400 ft/s) L/60: 850–880 m/s (2,800–2,900 ft/s) |
Maximum firing range | L/60: 7,160 m (23,490 ft) L/70: 12,500 m (41,000 ft) |
In the post-war era, the Bofors 40 mm L/60 design was not suitable for action against jet-powered aircraft, so Bofors developed a new 40 mm gun with significantly more power — the Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70. In spite of being a separate development, although based on the same core action and looking visually similar (comparable to the AK-47 vs the AK-74), the Bofors 40 mm L/70 gun is also widely known simply as "the Bofors" or the "Bofors 40 mm gun". The L/70 design never achieved the same popularity and historical status as the original L/60 model but has still seen great export and popularity to this day, having been adopted by around 40 different nations and even being accepted as NATO-standard in November 1953.[4]l