An engine gun, or engine cannon (from , "motor cannon"), is an aircraft gun mounted behind and through the cylinder block of an inline aircraft engine (most often a V engine) with a reduction drive that displaces the propeller axle to be in line with the gun so that gunfire is allowed through the propeller hub. This allows for nose-mounted weaponry on aircraft without the need for synchronization gear while also permitting higher calibers for nose-mounted weaponry, which otherwise would be hard to adapt for synchronization gear.

The first time this was done was during World War I when the French modified the Hispano-Suiza 8 engine to be able to install a 37 mm autocannon. The concept was used widely before the Jet Age.

Historical engine guns Finnish guns 12.7 mm VKT 12,70 LKk/42 (single use on a Morane-Saulnier MS.406)

French guns 7.5 mm MAC 1934 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 37 mm SAMC (Semi Automatique Moteur Canon)

German guns 7.9 mm MG 17 machine gun 20 mm MG 151 cannon 30 mm MK 103 cannon 30 mm MK 108 cannon

Soviet guns 12.7 mm Berezin UB 20 mm Berezin B-20 20 mm ShVAK cannon 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 37 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 37 mm Nudelman N-37 45 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-45

Swiss guns 20 mm Oerlikon FF

Engine gun installations

French engines Hispano-Suiza 8 (various models) Hispano-Suiza 12Y

German engines Daimler-Benz DB 603 Daimler-Benz DB 605

Soviet engines Klimov M-105 Klimov VK-106 Klimov VK-107

Swiss engines Saurer YS-2 Saurer YS-3

Aircraft with engine guns

Czechoslovak aircraft

Avia Bk-534 Avia B-135

Finnish aircraft Mörkö Morane

French aircraft

Dewoitine D.500 Dewoitine D.520 Loire-Nieuport LN.401 Morane-Saulnier M.S.405 Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 Morane-Saulnier M.S.410 Morane-Saulnier M.S.411 Morane-Saulnier M.S.412 Morane-Saulnier M.S.450 SPAD S.XII

German aircraft Blohm & Voss BV 155 Dornier Do 335 Heinkel He 100 Heinkel He 112 ("kanonenvogel") Messerschmitt Bf 109 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 (D-12, D-13 Variants) Focke-Wulf Ta 152

Italian aircraft

Fiat G.55 Centauro Fiat G.56 Macchi C.205 Veltro Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario Savoia-Marchetti SM.92

Soviet aircraft

Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 Yakovlev Yak-1 Yakovlev Yak-3 Yakovlev Yak-7 Yakovlev Yak-9

Swedish aircraft SAAB 23

Swiss aircraft

C-35 C-3603 C-3604 D-3800 D-3801 D-3802 D-3803

Yugoslavian aircraft Ikarus S-49 Rogožarski IK-3

References

External links