20×82mm


The 20×82mm is a German 20 mm caliber cartridge developed during World War II for the MG 151/20 cannon. It continues to see usage today with the South-African Vektor GA-1 autocannon and Denel NTW-20 anti-material rifle and some remaining users of the MG 151/20.

Usage

The cartridge was developed in Nazi Germany during World War II as a necked-up 20 mm variant of the 15×96mm cartridge in use with the MG 151/15 heavy aircraft machinegun. The 15 mm caliber proved to be insufficient for aircraft use and it was thus decided to redevelope the cartridge into 20 mm caliber, by shortening and necking-up the casing, and installing the 20 mm mine shells of the MG FF/M. By necking up the existing cartridge, the MG 151/15 guns could easily be converted by a barrel switch, creating the MG 151/20.
Beyond the MG 151/20, the 20×82mm was also used in the MG 210 cannon, an attempt by Mauser to improve on the rate of fire of their MG 151 while making it lighter and simpler, as well as the French post-war MG 250 cannon by Atelier Mécanique de Mulhouse.
The 20×82mm cartridge went on to be produced postwar for countries who continued to use the MG 151/20 gun, especially France, who continued to use and sell the weapon into the 1960s as helicopter armament. One such venture, was the gunship model of the Aérospatiale Alouette III, which subsequently lead to its adoption by countries such as Portugal and South Africa. South Africa then went on to both produce and further develop the MG 151 as the Vektor GA-1, as well as the 20×82mm, later on adopting the cartridge for the Denel NTW-20 anti-material rifle in the 1990s. South Africa would later introduce a shorter belted variant in "20×42mm" for the Neopup PAW-20 grenade launcher.

Guns in 20×82mm