M45 quad mount
| M45 quad mount | |
|---|---|
M45 on an M20 trailer in the Musée des Blindés | |
| Type | Anti-aircraft gun, heavy machine gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Wars | World War II First Indochina War Korean War Vietnam War Portuguese Colonial War Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Lebanese Civil War 1978 South Lebanon conflict Nicaraguan Revolution 1982 Lebanon War Sino-Vietnamese War Third Indochina War Salvadoran Civil War |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,396 lb (1,087 kg) |
| Barrel length | 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) L/50 |
| Shell | .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) |
| Shell weight | 21 oz (.6 kg) |
| Caliber | 0.50 in (12.7 mm) |
| Action | Short recoil-operated |
| Elevation | -5° to +90° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 575 x 4 = 2,300 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,900 ft/s (890 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 4,900 ft (1.5 km) (effective AA) 15,000 ft (4.5 km) (maximum AA) |
| Maximum firing range | 1.1 mi (1.8 km) (horizontal) 1.6 mi (2.5 km) (maximum) |
| Feed system | Belt-fed (M2 or M9 links) |
The M45 quad mount is a towed anti-aircraft gun consisting of four .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns mounted in pairs on either side of an armored open-top gunner's compartment with electrical laying. It was developed by the W. L. Maxson Corporation to replace the earlier M33 twin mount (also from Maxson). Although designed as an anti-aircraft weapon, it was also used against ground targets, where it earned the nicknames "meat chopper" and "Krautmower". Introduced in 1944, it saw service as late as the Vietnam War.