JM61 (20 mm)
Contents
Description
The 20 mm JM61 is a Japanese naval cannon. It is a version of the 20 mm JM61A1 rotary aircraft cannon equipped on Japanese jet fighters.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
The JM61 has the second-highest rate of fire of any naval weapon, at a whopping 3,000 rounds per minute (RPM). As such, the JM61 can shred through any boat with ease and even dissect larger ships. There is also a modification available to lower the rate of fire to 450 RPM, but the decrease in effectiveness is not worth the extra time of continuous fire.
Available ammunition
The JM61 has a choice of 3 belts: HEI, API-T, and APDS.
- 20 mm HEI belts: HEF-I · API-T · HEF-I · HEF-I · API-T · HEF-I
- API-T: API-T · HEF-I · API-T · API-T · HEF-I · API-T
- 20 mm APDS belts: APDS · APDS · APDS · APDS
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| API-T | 40 | 36 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 3 | |
| HEF-I | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| APDS | 64 | 62 | 53 | 44 | 37 | 30 | |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| API-T | 1,030 | 0.1 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° | ||||
| HEF-I | 1,030 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 | 17.12 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
| APDS | 1,128 | 0.07 | - | - | - | 75° | 78° | 80° | ||||
Comparison with analogues
- AK-230 - 30 mm CIWS cannon found on the Pr. 206, has a third the rate of fire, but each turret has 2 barrels, meaning that the Pr. 206 effectively fires 4,000 RPM
- 30 mm/54 AK-630 - 30 mm CIWS cannon mounted on the MPK Pr.12412, has an even higher rate of fire than the JM61 at 5,000 RPM, but no access to any armour-piercing rounds
Usage in battles
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.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Very high rate of fire
- API-T and APDS belts can cut through most ships it meets
Cons:
- Overheats quickly, continuous fire is not recommended
History
With Japan's industry badly damaged by World War II and only just exiting a stage of economic recovery at the time, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's (JMSDF) first ships were transfers from the US Navy. Even when the JMSDF began building their ships in 1956, they still used American designed weapons such as the 3 inch Mk.33 to arm them. The practice continues to the present with the entirety of Japan's naval weapons being based on American designs or from other foreign nations such as Italy.
The JM61 is another example of their use of American designs. A licensed version of the M61 Vulcan adopted by the United States Air Force in 1959 for fighter aircraft, the cannon would be used in other applications. In the 1970s, the United States Navy used the Vulcan as the basis for the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) as a last line of defense against attacks against their ships. Entering service in 1980, the design was adopted by a number of America's allies including Japan. Around 1990, the JM61 seen in-game was developed. Based on the CIWS, it used a simplified mounting that was less complex and developed by Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. While the Phalanx was the weapon of choice for JMSDF destroyers, the JM61 in its numerous variants is the weapon used for smaller vessels such as minesweepers, landing craft and patrol boats such as PG 02. The gun is also by the Maritime Security Agency (now the Japanese Coast Guard) starting FY1979 to replace their aging 20 mm/70 Oerlikon guns from World War II.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Japan naval cannons | |
|---|---|
| 20 mm | JM61 · Type 98 |
| 25 mm | 25 mm/60 Type 96 |
| 37 mm | Type 4 · Type 11 pattern 1922 |
| 40 mm | 40 mm/62 Vickers |
| 57 mm | Type 97 |
| 75 mm | Type 88 AA |
| 76 mm | 3-inch/40 Type 41 · 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type · 8 cm/60 Type 98 |
| 100 mm | 100/65 mm Type 98 mod A |
| 120 mm | 120 mm/45 3rd Year Type · 120 mm/45 10th year type |
| 127 mm | 5 inch/40 Type 89 · 127 mm/50 3rd Year Type |
| 140 mm | 140 mm/50 3rd Year Type |
| 152 mm | 6-inch/45 Type 41 · 15 cm/50 Type 41 |
| 155 mm | 155 mm/60 3rd Year Type |
| 200 mm | 20 cm 3rd year type No.1 |
| 203 mm | 20 cm/45 Type 41 · 20 cm/50 3rd year type No.2 |
| 356 mm | 36 cm/45 Type 41 |
| 410 mm | 410 mm/45 Type 3 |
| Foreign: | |
| 20 mm | 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (USA/Britain) |
| 40 mm | Bofors L/60 Mark 1 (USA) · Bofors L/60 Mark 2 (USA) · Bofors L/60 Mark 3 (USA) |
| 47 mm | 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss (Britain) |
| 76 mm | 3-inch Mark 10 (USA) · 3 inch Mk.33 (USA) · 3-inch Mk.34 (USA) |
| 120 mm | 4,7-inch/40 Armstrong (Britain) |
| 127 mm | 5 inch/38 Mk.12 (USA) |
| 305 mm | 12-inch/45 Vickers (Britain) · 12-inch/50 Vickers (Britain) |
