Rheinmetall Mk 20 Rh-202

The Rheinmetall Mk 20 RH-202 (short for MaschinenKanone 20 mm Rheinmetall) is a 20 mm caliber autocannon designed and produced by Rheinmetall. It fires the 20×139mm ammunition originally developed for the Hispano-Suiza HS.820.

Rheinmetall Mk 20 Rh-202
Rh-202 installed in a Marder 1A3 turret.
TypeAutocannon
Place of originWest Germany
Production history
DesignerRheinmetall
Designed1960s
ManufacturerRheinmetall
Specifications
Mass83 kg
Length2612 mm
Height241 mm
Shell20 × 139 mm
Caliber20 mm[1]
ActionGas unlocked blowback
Rate of fire880 to 1,030 rpm[1]
Muzzle velocity1,044 m/s with HEI
1,100 m/s with AP
Effective firing range1,600 m against high flying aircraft[1]
2,500 m against ground targets[1]

The cannon is used on German military vehicles including the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, the Spähpanzer Luchs and some variants of the Wiesel AWC. It is also used in the Argentinian VCTP, an IFV based on the TAM chassis. A towed twin mount antiaircraft version was also produced; it was used by Argentina in the Falklands War.

German naval ships also employed Rh 202 mounts (usually two on frigates and destroyers, four on larger replenishment ships), but they have been or are currently being replaced with the new Mauser (now a subsidiary of Rheinmetall) MLG 27 remote-controlled guns of 27 mm calibre.

A version modified to fire the U.S. M50 series of 20×102mm ammunition loaded into the M14 link belt has been offered to no avail for the U.S. Government by Maremont Corporation, of Saco, Maine, licensed by Rheinmetall under marketing arrangement.[2]

20 mm twin anti-aircraft mount variant
Flugabwehrkanone 20 mm Zwilling
20 mm twin gun 1095 of the German Air Force.
TypeAutocannon
Place of originWest Germany
Production history
DesignerRheinmetall
Designed1960s
ManufacturerRheinmetall
Specifications
Mass1,640 kg (combat ready)[1]
2,050 kg (travelling)
Length5 m (16 ft 5 in) (travelling)
Barrel length1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
Width2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) (travelling)
Height2 m (6 ft 7 in) (travelling)[3]
Crew3 to 4
Shell20 × 139 mm
Caliber20 mm[1]
ActionGas unlocked blowback
Elevation-5° to +83.5°[1]
Traverse360°[1]
Rate of fire880 to 1,030 rpm per gun[1]
Muzzle velocity1,044 m/s with HEI
1,100 m/s with AP
Effective firing range1,600 m against high flying aircraft[1]
2,500 m against ground targets[1]

Rheinmetall Zwillingsflak twin-gun anti-aircraft system began development in 1968 to meet the requirements of the low-level air defence units of the German Air Force, i.e. "to engage low and very low approaching enemy aircraft with all appropriate means in time to prevent them from firing their weapons or delivering their ordnance, or at least to prevent them from carrying out an accurate attack on an air force installation."

The Budget Committee of the Bundestag approved the Zwillingsflak system in December 1969, and serial production began in 1972; the first production systems reached units of the Bundeswehr on October 12 of that year. Rheinmetall delivered the last of these in 1976.

This gun was also used by the Argentine Air Force, including during the Falklands War.

Since 1981, it was used by the Portuguese Army and Portuguese Air Force.

Operators
  •  Argentina – A total of 15 Rh 202 used by the Argentine Air Force were captured in the Falklands Conflict by the British. 9 at Port Stanley Airport and 6 at Goose Green airfield
  •  Germany – 1015 ordered in 1969. Used between 1972 and 1992, twin model now withdrawn from service, but the single barrel version still is used, usually vehicle-mounted[1]
  •  Greece
  •  Portugal – Some 30 used by the Army
  •  Turkey
  •  Indonesia
  •  Pakistan
  •  Sri Lanka - Deployed on the naval ships SLNS Sayurala (2016), SLNS Sindurala (2018) and on other vessels.
  •  Ireland - Secondary armament on naval patrol vessels.
  •  Chile – Deployed on Marder 1A3 IFVs.
  •  Syrian opposition

Specifications
  • Type: single-barrel automatic cannon
  • Caliber: 20 × 139 mm (0.79 in)
  • Operation: Gas-unlocked sliding breech block, blowback, recoiling base
  • Length: 2612 mm (8 ft 7 in)
  • Barrel length: 2002 mm
  • Rifling angle: 6°
  • Weight (complete): 75 kg (165 lb) single feed; 83 kg (183 lb) dual feed
  • Rate of fire: 880-1,000 rpm
  • Effective range: 2000 m
  • Max. range: 7000 m
  • Muzzle velocity: 1,050 to 1,150 m/s (3,440 to 3,770 ft/s)
  • Recoil force: 550–750 kg
  • Projectile weight: 134 g (0.3 lb) full calibre; 108 g APDS

See also

References
  1. "Die Flugabwehrkanone 20 mm Zwilling" (in German). luftwaffe.de. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  2. German Machineguns Archived 2017-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, MOR Associates, 1971, p. 168
  3. Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 205. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
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