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| SPECIFICATIONS |
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| BORE |
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40MM (1.575 inches) |
| CALIBER |
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56 |
| LENGTH OF GUN |
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12 feet 4.8 inches |
| MAXIMUM RANGE |
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11,000 yards (5.5 nautical miles) at 42º |
| MAXIMUM CEILING |
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22,800 feet at 90º |
| MUZZLE VELOCITY |
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2890 feet per second |
| RATE OF FIRE |
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160 rounds per minute |
| MANUFACTURED BY |
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Firestone Tire and Rubber Company |
The Bofors 40mm antiaircraft gun was designed in Sweden, and became the standard medium caliber anti-aircraft cannon for the Allies during World War II. The US Army tested the air-cooled Bofors in 1937, and Chrysler received a contract to manufacture the weapon to British drawings in 1940. Several of the Army model guns, M1 and M2, were deployed on US Navy ships and submarines. Water-cooled versions were deployed on most US warships and support ships during the war in single, twin and quad mounts.
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company built the museum' s example in 1942. It is a manually operated gun, with the two crewmen seated on the carriage, supported by loaders feeding four-round clips into the top of the gun. The crewman in the left-hand seat was the pointer, who controlled the gun's elevation by turning a crank. The other crewman was the trainer, who controlled the right/left movement of the gun with another crank. Both crewmen had rudimentary bead-and-ring sights to track the aircraft and estimate lead angles. If time permitted, the guns were tied into a director system so that multiple guns could engage the same target, increasing the probability of destroying the plane. The typical anti-aircraft engagement range was 4,000 to 5,000 yards. |
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