Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon
| Becker Type M2 | |
|---|---|
An artist's rendering of a Becker antiaircraft gun | |
| Type | Autocannon |
| Place of origin | German Empire |
| Service history | |
| In service | Imperial German Air Service |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Reinhold Becker August Coenders |
| Designed | 1913 |
| Manufacturer | Stahlwerke Becker |
| No. built | 539+ |
| Variants | |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 30 kg (66 lb) |
| Cartridge | 20x70mmRB (130 g) |
| Caliber | 20 mm (0.787 in) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | API blowback |
| Rate of fire | 325 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 490 m/s (1,600 ft/s) |
| Feed system | 15-rounds box magazine |
The Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon was a German autocannon developed for aircraft use during World War I by Stahlwerke Becker. It was first mass-produced in 1916 and was installed in a variety of aircraft. It was the only German autocannon to see service in the air during the war.
The Becker also served as the pattern for the famous Swiss-built Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, which is in service to this day, and in a later form, was the original inspiration, through the Swiss design after World War I, for the World War II German Luftwaffe's MG FF (Maschinengewehr Flügel Fest, "fixed wing-mount automatic ordnance") 20 mm autocannon design.