MG 151 cannon

A 15 mm machine gun later developed into the MG151/20 cannon whcih was widely used on many types of german fighter aircraft used in WWII.

The 15 mm weapon was experienced as having a lackluster performance as the main gun on the early Bf-109 F series and was soon replaced by the 20 mm version to become the standard cannon for the F-4 series onwards untill it was surpassed by the 30 mm MK108 . Lather versions of the Fw 190 also carried this gun. as their main armament

It has a high muzzle velocivty which makes for a stable trajectory and high impact speed / longer range than the low(er) muzzle velocity of te Oerlikon MG FF/M. All in all a better gun compared to the latter which was also widely used on german fighter planes in the first half of WWII.

Data on the MG151 a.k.a. MG151/15:

Manufacturer: Waffenfabrik Mauser AG Caliber: 15mm (15x96 cartridge) Weight: 42 kg Muzzle Velocity: ± 830 m/s Rate Of Fire: 900 rounds/min Round Types: Armour Piercing and High Exposive Round Weights: 166 g (AP) / 151 g (HE)

Data on the MG151/20:

Manufacturer: Waffenfabrik Mauser AG Caliber: 20 mm (20x82 cartridge) Weight: 42 kg Muzzle Velocity: ± 860 m/s Rate Of Fire: 750 rounds/min Round Types: Armour Piercing and High Exposive - 2 types: standard HE and HE(M) "Mine shot" with more explosive charge on board and thinner shell walls. Round Weights: 117API / 115 HE / 92 HE(M)