Difference between revisions of "DEFA 551 (30 mm)"

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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.''
+
<!-- ''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.'' -->
 +
 
 +
The DEFA 551 is a French 30 mm revolver cannon based on the German Mauser MG 213C, an experimental cannon designed for Luftwaffe. Its production started in early '50s and was used on some French made planes like the S.O.4050.
 +
In War Thunder it has many sub-versions that are used on other French jet fighters.
  
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->
 
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->
 +
 
* {{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2a}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2a}}
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* {{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2a_israel_iaf}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2a_iaf}}
 
* {{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2a_iaf}}
 +
* {{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2n}}
 +
* {{Specs-Link|so_4050_vautour_2n_iaf}}
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
−
''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''
+
<!-- ''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.'' -->
  
−
=== Available shells ===
+
The DEFA 551 cannons can fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute, the AP bullets velocity is 790 m/s and for the HE bullets it is 810 m/s. The one second burst mass is 5.21 kg.
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''Describe the shells that are available for the cannon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).''
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Every HE shell carries 27 grams of explosive, enough to heavily damage any plane with a single hit. The only drawback of this cannon is poor accuracy, much worse than in 20 mm cannons, hitting any small target from more than 800 m away can be a problem.
 +
 
 +
=== Available ammunition ===
 +
<!-- ''Describe the shells that are available for the weapon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).'' -->
 +
 
 +
* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI|High-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF|High-explosive fragmentation}}
 +
* '''Air targets:''' {{Annotation|HEF|High-explosive fragmentation}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI|High-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF|High-explosive fragmentation}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI|High-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
 +
* '''Ground targets:''' {{Annotation|HEI|High-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}
 +
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|HEF|High-explosive fragmentation}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI|High-explosive incendiary}}
 +
 
 +
{{:{{PAGENAME}}/Ammunition|HEI, HEF, API-T}}
  
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
−
''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns, that have firepower equal to these type of weapons.''
+
<!-- ''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.'' -->
 +
 
 +
The other cannons with similar characteristics are the Russian NR-30, the British ADEN and other subversions of the DEFA cannon. All of them share similar shell velocity close to ~800 m/s and the damage amount they cause, landing a few hits on the other plane will end up very badly for it.
 +
Bullet types used by the ADEN and DEFA cannon are basically the same, available belts too.
 +
The NR-30 has lower rate of fire, but much better accuracy, also its bullets have considerably more of explosive mass.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
−
''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against the main opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.''
+
<!-- ''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.'' -->
 +
 
 +
Since it can carry only 100 bullets per magazine it can fire for only a few seconds, so it is the best to fire at the target when the chance of hitting it is the highest, so basically when it is flying at low speed and when it cannot perform any high speed high G manoeuvres.
 +
The other aspect that can make it difficult against the other jets is mediocre shell velocity speed compared to machine guns like the M3 Browning or the FMC T-160 revolver cannon.
 +
The AP shell penetration is quite high so it also can be used against the ground units, especially those used in air battles and tanks from the top, or the wheeled vehicles ones like the Centauro.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
* High rate of fire
 +
* Very high one-second burst mass
 +
* Can be used in many roles, good penetration against ground units
 +
* Mediocre accuracy at longer range
 +
* Good damage output
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
* Mediocre shell velocity
 +
* Very low amount of bullets in magazine
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of this weapon. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''
+
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
−
''An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
−
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
+
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
 
* ''reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
−
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''
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* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.'' -->
 +
 
 +
* [[ADEN (30 mm)]]
 +
* [[DEFA 541 (30 mm)]]
 +
* [[DEFA 552 (30 mm)]]
 +
* [[DEFA 552A (30 mm)]]
 +
* [[DEFA 553 (30 mm)]]
 +
* [[NR-30 (30 mm)]]
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* [[Akan m/55 (30 mm)]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''encyclopedia page on the weapon;''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
−
* ''other literature.''
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 +
* [https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a140367.pdf Historical Development Summary of Automatic Cannon Caliber Ammunition: 20-30 Millimeter]
  
 
{{France aircraft cannons}}
 
{{France aircraft cannons}}
 +
{{Israel aircraft cannons}}
  
 
[[Category:Aircraft cannons]]
 
[[Category:Aircraft cannons]]

Latest revision as of 19:44, 14 March 2024

Introducing Wiki 3.0

Description

The DEFA 551 is a French 30 mm revolver cannon based on the German Mauser MG 213C, an experimental cannon designed for Luftwaffe. Its production started in early '50s and was used on some French made planes like the S.O.4050. In War Thunder it has many sub-versions that are used on other French jet fighters.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

General info

The DEFA 551 cannons can fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute, the AP bullets velocity is 790 m/s and for the HE bullets it is 810 m/s. The one second burst mass is 5.21 kg. Every HE shell carries 27 grams of explosive, enough to heavily damage any plane with a single hit. The only drawback of this cannon is poor accuracy, much worse than in 20 mm cannons, hitting any small target from more than 800 m away can be a problem.

Available ammunition

  • Default: API-T · HEI · HEF
  • Air targets: HEF · HEI · HEF · HEI · API-T
  • Ground targets: HEI · API-T · API-T · API-T
  • Stealth: HEF · HEI

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
HEI 4 4 4 4 4 4
HEF 4 4 3 3 3 3
API-T 35 32 21 13 8 5
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
HEI 820 0.24 0.2 0.1 85 79° 80° 81°
HEF 820 0.24 0.2 0.1 47.6 79° 80° 81°
API-T 760 0.28 - - - 47° 60° 65°

Comparison with analogues

The other cannons with similar characteristics are the Russian NR-30, the British ADEN and other subversions of the DEFA cannon. All of them share similar shell velocity close to ~800 m/s and the damage amount they cause, landing a few hits on the other plane will end up very badly for it. Bullet types used by the ADEN and DEFA cannon are basically the same, available belts too. The NR-30 has lower rate of fire, but much better accuracy, also its bullets have considerably more of explosive mass.

Usage in battles

Since it can carry only 100 bullets per magazine it can fire for only a few seconds, so it is the best to fire at the target when the chance of hitting it is the highest, so basically when it is flying at low speed and when it cannot perform any high speed high G manoeuvres. The other aspect that can make it difficult against the other jets is mediocre shell velocity speed compared to machine guns like the M3 Browning or the FMC T-160 revolver cannon. The AP shell penetration is quite high so it also can be used against the ground units, especially those used in air battles and tanks from the top, or the wheeled vehicles ones like the Centauro.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • High rate of fire
  • Very high one-second burst mass
  • Can be used in many roles, good penetration against ground units
  • Mediocre accuracy at longer range
  • Good damage output

Cons:

  • Mediocre shell velocity
  • Very low amount of bullets in magazine

History

Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

External links


France aircraft cannons
20 mm  GIAT M.621 · Hispano 404 · Hispano HS.9 · M50
30 mm  DEFA 541 · DEFA 551 · DEFA 552 · DEFA 552A · DEFA 553 · DEFA 554 · GIAT M781
  Foreign:
20 mm  AN/M2 (USA) · Browning-Colt Mk12 Mod 3 (USA) · Hispano Mk.II (Britain) · Hispano Mk.V (Britain) · M3 (USA) · M24A1 (USA) · M39A1 (USA) · M61A1 (USA) · MG 151 (Germany) · ShVAK (USSR)
30 mm  ADEN (Britain)
37 mm  M4 (USA) · M10 (USA) · NS-37 (USSR)

Israel aircraft cannons
20 mm  GIAT M.621 (France) · Hispano Mk.II (Britain) · Hispano Mk.V (Britain) · M50 (France) · M61A1 (USA) · M195 (USA) · M197 (USA) · MG 151 (Germany) · Mk 11 mod 5 (USA)
30 mm  DEFA 551 (France) · DEFA 552 (France) · DEFA 552A (France) · DEFA 553 (France) · M230E-1 (USA)
40 mm  M129 (USA)

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