BK 5 - Bordkanone 5
BK 5 - Bordkanone 5
Designed: 1943
Produced: 1943-1945
Number Built: ~300
Caliber: 50mm
Weight: 540 kg (1,200 lbs)
Muzzle Velocity: N/A
Rate Of Fire: 45 rnds/minute
Magazine: 22 Rounds
Round Types: N/A
The Bordkanone 5, or BK 5 for short, was a 50 mm autocannon intended primarily for use against Allied heavy bombers, especially the USAAF's combat box heavy bomber flight formations, so that defending Luftwaffe fighter aircraft could fire from a great enough distance to make the USAAF bomber's heavy defensive firepower ineffective against defending German fighter aircraft. Rheinmetall was given a contract in 1943 to adapt the 50 mm KwK 39 tank gun, from the Panzer III tank, for aerial use in the twin-engined Me 410 Hornisse bomber destroyer. They were installed as Umrüst-Bausätze (Factory Modification) 4 in the Me 410A-1/U4, and experimentally, in two Me 262A-1a/U4 jet fighter prototypes (though these were not used operationally), as the MK 214 cannon of similar caliber was not yet available. The semi-circular magazine held 22 rounds. Approximately 300 were produced and it saw only limited action, most notably in the Me 410A-1/U4 Hornissen aircraft that served with the II. Gruppe of Zerstörergeschwader 26. It was also mounted on the Junkers Ju 88P-4 night attack aircraft. Intended for long-range shots, the cannon was given a telescopic sight in addition to the Me 410's standard Revi C12C gunsight. This proved to be more of a hindrance than a help in the turning fights in which the Me 410s often found themselves, as the maneuvering targets easily escaped from the telescopic sight's small field of view.
Me 262A-1a/U4 - V083/Wilma Jeane, with a 50mm cannon, Germany 1945
Me 262A-1a/U4 - V083/Wilma Jeane, with a 50mm cannon, Germany 1945
Sources:
Gunston, Bill & Wood, Tony - Hitler's Luftwaffe, 1977, Salamander Books Ltd., London
Wikipedia - BK-5
Gunston, Bill & Wood, Tony - Hitler's Luftwaffe, 1977, Salamander Books Ltd., London
Wikipedia - BK-5