ShVAK (20 mm)

Description

The ShVAK (Russian: ШВАК: Шпитальный-Владимиров Авиационный Крупнокалиберный, Shpitalnyi-Vladimirov Aviatsionnyi Krupnokalibernyi, Shpitalny-Vladimirov large-calibre for aircraft) is a 20 mm autocannon which could be mounted on aircraft, either in the wings, the fuselage or in turrets. There are 3 variants of the ShVAK, 'standard' ShVAK, 'early' ShVAK (which lacks API and FI bullets), and the ShVAKs which is a standard ShVAK synchronised and regulated to fire through a propeller arc without destroying the propeller. The synchronised ShVAK has a lower rate of fire compared to the other versions.

The turreted ShVAK has the same characteristics as the standard wing or fuselage mounted ShVAK cannons.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

General info

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.

Available ammunition

Early:

• Default: T · HEF-I
• Air targets: HEF · HEF-I · HEF · T
• Tracers: T · HEF-I · T · T
• Stealth: HEF · HEF · HEF

Standard/Synchronised

• Default: FI-T · AP-I
• Universal: FI-T · HEF · AP-I · FI-T
• Ground targets: HEF · FI-T · AP-I
• Tracers: FI-T · FI-T · FI-T
• Armoured targets: AP-I · FI-T · AP-I · AP-I
• Stealth: AP-I · HEF · HEF · FI
• Default (turret): FI-T · HEF
• Armoured targets (turret): AP-I · FI-T · AP-I
• Air targets (turret): AP-I · FI-T · HEF · HEF-I

Naval

• Universal: FI-T · AP-I · FI-T · AP-I
• 20 mm HE belts: FI-T · FI · FI · AP-I
• 20 mm AP belts: API-T · AP-I · AP-I · FI

Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

The ShVAK has a good rate of fire and accuracy, but it is weakened by the poor damage potential of its HEF rounds. To inflict consistent damage to the enemies, it is recommended to use Armored Targets or Ground Targets Belts containing AP and/or FI rounds.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent rate of fire at 720 to 800 RPM
• Good accuracy even during prolonged bursts
• Fragmentation-Incendiary round (FI) is good for pilot snipe and set fire
• Tracer belt is full of FI-T aka Soviet laser beam

Cons:

• HEI has the worst explosive effect compared to 20 mm shells of other nations
• Struggles against large framed and heavily armoured aircraft
• Mediocre muzzle velocity
• Useless at defeating armour thicker than 20 mm
• Most ShVAK installations have less than 200 rounds
• Has a tendency to "spark"

History

The ShVAK is a 20 mm cannon. Originally designed to meet a requirement of a 12.7x108 mm aircraft machine gun intended to use the same cartridges as the DShK machine gun, the ShVAK 12.7 mm machine gun designed at Tula Arsenal by S.V. Vladimirov was a scaled up version of the ShKAS action. It was first used in synchronized mount on the I-16 and planned for use on the cancelled Yatsenko I-28 fighter. However, the action meant the ShVAK gun needed to use rimmed cartridges while the DShK used rimless cartridges. As a result, the machine gun was phased out in favour of the Berezin UB which could use DShK ammunition.

Between 1935 and 1936, the design was modified to fire a 20 mm cartridge. It retained the "bird-cage" feed system that gradually de-linked a cartridge and had the gas cylinder moved under the barrel to create an more compact profile. It became the standard Soviet aircraft cannon during World War II, used on a number of aircraft from the I-153P and I-16 fighters, to the Soviet Lend-Lease Hurricane Mk IIBs and the Tu-2 "Bat", the ground attack version of the Pe-2 "Buck", on flexible mounts in the Pe-8 and Yer-2 bombers, and on early variants of the IL-2 "Shturmovik" ground attack aircraft. In 1952, the United States tested captured guns where they noted it had the same range and rate of fire as their M3, but was lighter than that design. However, it was made of non-heat-treated parts that were filed down to fit. After World War II, the ShVAK was replaced by the Berezin B-20 which was even lighter but just as powerful.

Media

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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