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20 × 82 mm
Region
South Africa
France
Category
Ammunition, Missiles and precision weapons
A short, rimless, bottlenecked brass case, percussion primed. The wartime projectiles were usually those of the 20 × 80RB Oerlikon gun, and post-war production generally followed current Oerlikon designs. South African projectiles use soft iron driving bands to minimise barrel wear. This was developed by the Mauser company in the 1930s as a possible anti-tank projectile, but was eventually used in the aircraft cannon and light anti-aircraft guns used by both Germany and Japan. In post-war years the cannon was
manufactured in France and used to arm light armoured vehicles. Manufacture ceased in about 1970 but a number of guns still exist, notably in various African states. The ammunition is still manufactured by Manurhin. Manufacture, in South Africa , of the GA1 cannon commenced in the late 1980s. The South African cartridge has minor dimensional differences to the original but chambers and functions in the MG 151 and similar weapons. The cartridge has recently been introduced into service, in a modified form, as an anti-materiél round. Compatible platforms include MG 151; ML60; AML Bitube; GA1 ; Mechem NTW 20.