20 ITK 40 VKT
20 ItK 40 VKT | |
---|---|
Type | Light anti-aircraft gun |
Place of origin | Finland |
Service history | |
In service | 1943–1988 |
Wars | Continuation War Lapland War |
Production history | |
Designer | Aimo Lahti |
Designed | 1940 |
Manufacturer | VKT (Valtion Kivääritehdas) |
Unit cost | FIM 244,420 |
Produced | 1943–1944 |
No. built | 174[1] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 652 kg (1,437 lb) (firing position) 778 kg (1,715 lb) (transport) |
Length | 425 cm (13 ft 11 in) |
Barrel length | 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) |
Width | 1.35 m (4 ft 5 in) |
Shell | 20×138B |
Barrels | 2 |
Elevation | −10° to +90° |
Traverse | 360° |
Rate of fire | 2×700/minute (cyclic max, adjustable) 2×250/minute (practical) |
Muzzle velocity | 830–850 m/s (2,273–2,788 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
Maximum firing range | 2,200 m (7,200 ft) |
Feed system | 20 round magazines |
Sights | M/Strömberg (original) m/55 pendulum ring sight (after 1955) |
The 20 ItK 40 VKT or 20 mm dual anti-aircraft cannon model 1940 manufactured by VKT was a Finnish light anti-aircraft gun designed by the Finnish gunsmith Aimo Lahti. As the only multi-barrel 20 mm anti-aircraft gun, the 20 ItK 40 VKT was the most effective 20 mm air defence weapon used by the Finnish Army during World War II. A total of 174 guns were built, used in training until the 1970s and kept in reserve until 1988. The gun received the nickname Vekotin (gadget) from Finnish soldiers. The nickname was reached by adding to the abbreviation of manufacturer, VKT.[1][2]
Background
The 20 ItK 40 VKT is a dual anti-aircraft gun designed by Aimo Lahti. The gun barrels and mechanisms are based on the L-39 anti-tank rifle converted from semi-automatic to full automatic fire and with the stock and barrel shroud removed. A prototype L-39 anti-aircraft gun was completed just before the Winter War, but Lahti made some improvements to the design and the mass-production version was designated L-40. Airforce headquarters ordered a series of 50 guns from Valtion Kivääritehdas (VKT, State Rifle Factory) in January 1940 and a further 120 guns in June 1941. Production was delayed, however, and the first guns were finished only in 1943. Of the total number of 174 guns, 155 were produced in 1943 and 19 in 1944. The guns were distributed to units in small batches soon after they were completed.[1][2]
Design
Unlike the L-39 anti-tank rifle, weapons in the 20 ItK 40 VKT are designed for full-automatic fire and so do not suffer from the similar structural weaknesses as the full-automatic conversion L-39/44 anti-aircraft rifles. The rate of fire for the gun is adjustable, with a maximum cyclic rate of 2 × 700 rounds per minute, and a more commonly used rate of 2 × 360 rounds per minute. The gun is loaded from 20 round magazines, with an empty weight of 5.6 kg and 11–12 kg full, depending on the type of ammunition. The
Service use
The 20 ItK 40 VKT was used by Finnish light anti-aircraft batteries in
See also
- 7,62 ITKK 31 VKTanti-aircraft machine gun, also designed by Aimo Lahti
References
- ^ ISBN 952-91-8449-2
- ^ a b c d FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS PART 1, retrieved 6 September 2009
- ISBN 952-91-8449-2
External links
- Media related to 20 ITK 40 VKT at Wikimedia Commons