Berezin UB
UB machine gun | |
---|---|
![]() UBS machine gun on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | |
Type | Machine gun |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
Used by | Soviet Union |
Wars | World War II |
Production history | |
Designer | Mikhail Yevgenyevich Berezin |
Designed | 1937–39 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 21.45 kilograms (47.3 lb) (UBS) 21.14 kilograms (46.6 lb) (UBK) 21.43 kilograms (47.2 lb) (UBT) |
Length | 1,347 mm (53.0 in) (UBS, UBK) 1,397 mm (55.0 in) (UBT) |
Barrel length | 890 mm (35.0 in) |
Cartridge | 12.7×108mm |
Action | Gas |
Rate of fire | 800–1050 RPM (700-800 synchronized UBS) |
Muzzle velocity | 814 m/s (2,670 ft/s) |
Feed system | Belt-fed |
Sights | Iron sights |
The Berezin UB (Russian: УБ - Универсальный Березина) (Berezin's Universal) was a 12.7 mm caliber Soviet aircraft machine gun widely used during World War II.
Development
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/UBK_machine_gun.jpg/220px-UBK_machine_gun.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/UBS_machine_gun.jpg/220px-UBS_machine_gun.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/UBT_machine_gun.jpg/220px-UBT_machine_gun.jpg)
In 1937, Mikhail Berezin began designing a new large-caliber aircraft machine gun chambered to the 12.7 mm round used by infantry machine guns. The new design passed factory trials in 1938 and was accepted into service in 1939 under the designation BS (Березин Синхронный, Berezin Sinkhronniy, Berezin Synchronized). The rate of fire made it well suited for use as defensive armament in aircraft. While a successful design, BS was not without its faults, the biggest being its cable-operated charging which required considerable physical strength.
Continued development resulted in the improved UB which came in three versions: UBK (Крыльевой, Krylyevoi, for the wings), UBS (Синхронный, Sinkhronniy, Synchronized), and UBT (Турельный, Turelniy, for the turret), with UBS and UBK charged by compressed air. The UB was accepted into service on April 22, 1941, just two months before the
Description
The Berezin UB is a
The UB in all variants was used by the vast majority of Soviet military aircraft of World War II.
A declassified 1952 US intelligence report notes that: "The
Production
The following production numbers could be found in the Soviet archives:[2]
- 1941 — 6,300
- 1943 — 43,690
- 1944 — 38,340
- 1945 — 42,952
Influences
The Berezin B-20 autocannon used an upscaled version of the UB mechanism.[2]
The Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 autocannon used an upscaled version of the UB mechanism.[3]
Notes
See also
- List of Russian weaponry
- M2 Browning machine gun
References
- Широкоград А.Б. (2001) История авиационного вооружения Харвест (Shirokograd A.B. (2001) Istorya aviatsionnogo vooruzhenia Harvest. ISBN 985-433-695-6) (History of aircraft armament)
- Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon - A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Austria: Koll. p. 58. ISBN 978-3-200-01445-9.
- Chinn, George M.The Machine Gun, Vol II, Part VII. US Department of the Navy, 1952
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)