"Browning" machine gun: description, characteristics, photo
Large-caliber machine gun "browning" - one of thea few small arms, which remains in the arsenal of the US Army to this day, undergoing minor modifications. About him and will be discussed in this article.
Birth of a legend
The start of development of a large-caliber machine gunthe system of John Moses Browning is considered to be the last years of the First World War, when the acute question arose about the need to equip the infantry with modern weapons capable of hitting a considerable number of targets in a short time.
It is installed both on armored vehicles and on aircraft. It is known that the Thunderbolt has a "Browning" -M2 machine gun in the number of eight units.
The installation of a machine gun model under the marking is known M2HB on the M46 tank. The machine gun was used as an anti-aircraft gun and equipped with a sight. Was located in front or behind the commander's niche.
Browning's handgun can also fire on aviation at low altitudes, over armored or not armored vehicles at all. And of course, by the enemy's infantry.
Colt-Browning machine gun
In 1889 John Browning developed a machine-gunwith a system of cooling the barrel and the removal of powder gases. After that, the rights were redeemed by the company "Colt", which in 1895 produced a machine gun Colt M1895. Thanks to the serial production, the product went to European states and a number of countries in Latin America. At the dawn of the First World War, a modification with a weighted barrel was released. Russia bought this machine gun in huge batches, the weapons were popular along with the "maxi" machine gun.
The 1917 Machine Gun
Adopted by the US Army in 1917, the machine-gun machine served faithfully until 1970, after which it was withdrawn from service.
Also known for the "Browning" machine -1919 - an upgraded version with a weapon-barrel cooling system - appeared after the First World War.
Tactical and technical characteristics
The Browning machine -1919 served until 1970,but gradually to remove this model from weapons began by the end of 1945 because of the analysis of military operations in general, showing that the machine gun is morally obsolete, and the emerging models (including in other countries) push the product according to its characteristics for the second (or even and on the third) plan.
The Browning machine gun weighed 14 kg, the length 1219 millimeters, of which the barrel is 609 mm. Rate of fire from 400 to 600 rounds per minute on the principle of kickback of the barrel on a short stroke with lever locking.
The food was produced with a machine gun belt for 250 cartridges with a maximum target range of 1 369 meters.
Machine gun "Browning" -m2
As at the same it is told above, the greatest popularity has received thanks to installation on heavy technics and use in quality zenith. It is a mo
But in most cases, everything was exploitedas a means of suppressing the enemy's manpower. The M46 tank carried the often-installed heavy-duty Browning machine gun on its armor. But when firing from the armor, the crew member had to lean out of the hatch roughly to the waist, which made the soldier vulnerable. Therefore, mounted and the second machine gun, as well as the standard machine gun, provided for the M46, was replaced with a Browning machine gun. Thus, the firepower of the combat vehicle increased significantly.
But this modernization was not done at the plant,who produced the equipment, but directly by the crew of the combat vehicle in the conditions of combat operations, which greatly affected the need to replenish the ammunition for the Browning machine gun (12.7 mm M2).
The American "Browning" (M2) machine gun is designed fortape feed, and boxes for 550 rounds, designed for regular weapons on the M46, often was not enough. Therefore, the crew had to get out on their own to solve this difficult task.
Sniper firing from a machine gun
For the first time in the war in Korea,use of a machine gun. However, the most popular was the "Browning" machine gun during the Vietnam War, when one of the US snipers named Carlos Hetcock hit several times the target is no more than a human figure, located at a distance of about 1700 meters. First the rumor about such shooting, flying around the US troops, played into their hands and raised morale. There was even formed a commission that experienced this arrow for setting and registering a world record. Information about the sniper shooting of Carlos from the machine gun was confirmed.
Machine guns produced even from the machine toolwere provided with a sniper scope after such a case. There is only one nuance. In fact, nobody used this sight, but the "Browning" machine gun was used for its intended purpose. Well, there are not so many unique people in the army who will use the machine gun as a sniper rifle.
But the idea of creating a sniper rifle onBased on the design of the machine gun attracted attention and developed. But not for long. As a result, the project to create a sniper rifle was curtailed, and in 1982 the company "Barrett" appeared on the scene with its sniper rifles, which quickly went into service with the US Army and the initiative of a sniper "Browning" was safely forgotten.
The myth about sniper shooting from a machine gunexisted until about 2002, gradually acquiring new details and fables. Passing from mouth to mouth, data on the range of shooting "sniper" constantly changed. In 2002, news was recorded about the range of shooting up to 3000 meters, which immediately betrayed the frankness of the material presented.
TTX M2
The legendary machine gun weighs 38 kg, and if with the machine, then already much more - 58 kg.
Length of the product 1653 mm, of which the trunk is 1143.
It uses a NATO cartridge 12.7 x 99 mm.
The army version of the machine gun (the one that was mounted on the tank) has a rate of fire, which varies from 483 to 630 rounds per minute. Few other indicators for the AN / M2 aircraft machine gun - from 740 to 845.
The upgraded version of the aircraft gun (AN / M3) has a rate of fire equivalent to 1200 rounds per minute.
The aiming range is 1820 meters.
Since the beginning of mass production in 1921, over 3 million items have been produced.
From war to war
Designed back in those years, the "Browning"is in the arsenal of the US Army (and also many NATO countries) to this day. Used during the Second World War, as well as in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, a number of local conflicts. In some, the US participated directly, in others this weapon was used by one or both parties.
Many conflicts have long ago died down and have had their development for a further history. Some are forgotten, but some still last.
Kaleidoscope of conflicts
At different times the machine gun was used by different participants in the conflict. In some countries it is still in service, but somewhere already written off and put in storage.
The Suez War (October 1957 - March 1957) - the war in Egypt, which arose because of the uncertainty of the status of the Suez Canal. And also received the name "Operation Kadesh."
The six-day war was a military confrontation in the Middle East, lasting from the fifth to the tenth of June 1967.
Three Indo-Chinese wars, which, according to historians, were conducted by European countries against Vietnam for maintaining their influence over the Indochina colonies in the period from 1946 to 1991 were conducted.
Military confrontation between Britain and Argentina for control of the Falkland Islands in the period from April 2 to June 20, 1982.
South African War (or War of IndependenceNamibia), 1969 to 1989 - an armed clash in the territory of Namibia between the organization of independent peoples of southwestern Africa (SWAPO) with the support of the USSR, Angola and Zambia against South Africa and UNITA (insurgents supporting the independence of Angola) with the support of the United States, China and Zaire.
The Persian Gulf War is a large-scalethe confrontation between the armies of many countries led by the United States and Iraq for the independence of Kuwait. Even on the verge of disintegration of the USSR, in the end, he supported the United States. The war lasted from August 2, 1990 to February 28, 1991.
The Civil War in Somalia, which began in 1988 and continues to this day.
The US invasion of Grenada, known as the operation of Urgent Fury, held from October 25 to 27, 1983.
The invasion of Panama - from December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990. The official pretext is to protect the rights of US citizens and democratic values in Panama.
Wars in Yugoslavia - a number of ethnic and religiousconflicts between 1991 and 2001, leading to the break-up of Yugoslavia and the emergence of a number of independent republics. It is considered the most bloody conflict after the Second World War.
The military actions of the US and NATO in the territoryAfghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It is considered the longest war in US history. Officially, the fighting, with the goal of confronting the Taliban, ended in 2014, when the right to maintain order was transferred to local security forces. In fact, fighting continues to this day.
Iraq war to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein 2003 - 2011.
The drug war in Mexico is an armed conflict between the Mexican drug lords and the Mexican police, which has lasted from 2006 to this day.
Civil War in Cambodia - armedThe confrontation between the local government, supported by the US and the Communist Party, supported by North Vietnam. The war lasted from 1967 to 1975.
The Cambodian-Vietnam War - from 1978 to 1991.
Colonial war in Portugal from 1961 to 1974. It is also known as Guerra Colonial and Guerra do Ultramar.
The Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988.
