DISCONTINUED Aires 4181 Colt Mk.12 20mm cannons

The Colt Mk 12 is an American 20mm air gun from the Cold War period. The first prototypes of this weapon were created in the late 1940s, and serial production started at the beginning of the next decade. The initial velocity of the projectile fired from this weapon was up to 1010 m / s. The total weight was 46 kilograms. The effective range of the shot did not exceed 1000-1200 meters. The Colt Mk 12 cannon was developed as a modification of the highly successful Hispano HS.404 cannon to replace the M3 cannon in line on US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft. Compared to its prototype, it had some design changes, and most of all, it fired a different type of ammunition, which increased the rate of fire and range, but significantly reduced the destructive force. However, the weapon in the course of service turned out to be inaccurate and highly unreliable. The Colt Mk 12 cannon was installed in such planes as the A-4 Skyhawk, F-8 Crusader, F-4D Skyray or F3H Demon. The weapon was used in combat, inter alia, during the Vietnam War in 1964 / 1965-1975.