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Categories: Swedish World War II anti-aircraft guns | Swedish World War II naval artillery | Swedish World War II vehicle weapons
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is a famous autocannon designed by the Swedish firm of Bofors. It is often referred to simply as the Bofors gun.
History
The 40mm light antiaircraft automatic gun was developed in 1929 by Bofors A.B. for the Swedish Navy. It was subsequently sold to several countries and was being produced under license in Poland as Armata p-lot 40mm wz.36 Bofors. The Polish 40mm anti-air guns were also exported to United Kingdom since 1938 and were used on all theatres of World War II. In 1941 the US Army adopted the gun. Also the Wehrmacht was using a number of Bofors guns captured in Poland and France.
The Bofors fired a 21b high explosive shell at 2,800ft/sec velocity and had a rate of fire of 120 rpm . The maximum attainable ceiling was 23,600ft, but the practical maximum was about 12,500ft. The standard mounting was a four-wheeled trailer unit, but two-wheeled units for airborne use were developed in the UK and USA, as well as self-propelled mountings for the protection of mobile columns.
It is still in use—for example in the Swedish Army's current infantry fighting vehicle, the Combat Vehicle 90. Breda of Italy uses the Bofors 40 mm L/70 gun in its anti-aircraft weapon system for the Italian army and navy.
See also
External link
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