A 20mm cannon-firing North American M61 Vulcan in real-life.
The 20 mm caliber is a specific size of cannon or autocannon ammunition.
Since 20mm is the cutoff point where most nations switch from bullets to shells, it has come to also generally be the cutoff point between weapons classified as a machine gun or a cannon. This can vary, however: for example, in WWII, Japan classified any weapon over 11mm as a cannon; thus, in Japanese records, their 12.7mm Ho-103 aircraft gun is classified as an autocannon, as it used explosive shells to overcome its lower muzzle velocity compared to American 12.7mm/.50BMG weapons). A machine gun does not fire shells, so historically a weapon that fires shells below 20mm can be a cannon. A true definition will always mention whether the weapon fires bullets or shells in addition to its caliber.
A very small number of anti-tank rifles have been produced in 20 mm and larger calibers. Many but not all 20 mm rounds have an explosive filling and detonating fuze.
Battlefield 2
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The 20mm Cannon is a default vehicle weapon in Battlefield 2 available only for the US Marine's F-18 Hornet, F-35 and AH-1Z Viper.
Battlefield 3
The 20mm Cannon is a default vehicle weapon in Battlefield 3 available only for the US Marine's F/A-18 Super Hornet and AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter.
The weapon's faction-based counter-parts are the Russian 2A42 Shipunov Automatic Cannon mounted aboard the Mi-28 Havoc and GSh-30-1 30mm automatic cannon for the SU-35BM 'Flanker E'. Although different in calibre, both cannons deal the same amount of damage and are only different in aesthetic appearances.
The 20mm cannon is the default and starting weapon available for both the US Marine's Jet Fighter and Attack Helicopter. For Jet Fighters due to the cannon's high rate of fire, it is excels in targeting and dispatch of hostile air vehicles and slow-moving exposed infantry, with all of the above able to be dispatched in a single pass in less than 2 seconds if all rounds strike the target.
The Jet's primary 20mm will always be selected by default when upon entry on the aircraft and the pilot can switch back and forth between their primary and secondary weapons noted by the change in Heads-Up-Display (HUD). The cannon is extremely accurate even at long ranges with a high muzzle but even then, the pilot must still take into account of target speed and adjust accordingly to compensate for longer distances by leading the target. The weapon contains unlimited ammunition but firing continuously for 3 or 4 seconds will overheat the cannon and the pilot will be forced to wait the same amount of time before being able to use it again. The 20mm's distinct firing report, muzzle flash and tracer can give the aircraft's position away.
The 20mm is the default Gunner seat's secondary weapon for the AH-1Z Viper. Unlike its jet Fighter-mounted counterpart, the cannon can traverse around at a 200 degree angle, slower muzzle velocity, fires high-explosive rounds containing light splash damage but ammunition limited to 30 rounds before the need the reload and no overheat. The Attack Helicopter's 20mm can devastate large pockets of enemy troops when allowed to hover temporarily over a high-traffic location, especially when equipped with Thermal Optics. It also has the ability to damage vehicles. All in all, the Attack Helicopter's 20mm still retains many operational similarities and properties as its Fighter Jet counterpart.
The "Belt Speed" vehicle specialization decreases cool down time per overheated reload for Jet Fighters and decreases reload time for the Attack Helicopter's main weapon.
Damage Statistics & Effects
The following is a list of effects and damage to specific vehicle types from an entire full-length burst from the 20mm cannon. Vehicles not listed are vehicles which are destroyed within a single full-length burst. Such includes all air vehicle types, Quad Bikes, RHIB Boats, Light Transports, Armored Transports
For added consistency, damage results were gathered with all shells striking the target in one full-length burst with no misses, and without the "Belt Feeder" vehicle specialisation equipped. Damage results are consistent at all angles of contact.
Jet Fighter
| Vehicle Type | Total damage |
|---|---|
| Main Battle Tank | 55, Disabled |
| Infantry Fighting Vehicle | 35, Disabled |
| Tank Destroyer | 35 |
| Mobile Anti-Air | 40, Disabled |
| Mobile Artillery | 70, Disabled |
| Gunship | 40 |
Attack Helicopter
| Vehicle Type | Total Damage |
|---|---|
| Main Battle Tank | 28 |
| Infantry Fighting Vehicle | 35 |
| Tank Destroyer | 35 |
| Mobile Anti-Air | 52, Disabled |
| Mobile Artillery | 47, Disabled |
Gallery
Battlefield 4
— In-game description
The 20mm Cannon is a default vehicle specialization available for Stealth Jets, Mobile Anti-Aircraft Artillery and the U.S Marine Corpse' AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter in Battlefield 4. It functions almost exactly the same as its Battlefield 3 counter-part.
For Stealth Jets due to the cannon's high rate of fire, it is excels in targeting and dispatch of hostile air vehicles and slow-moving exposed infantry. Unlike its Battlefield 3 counter-part however, it is relatively weaker, requiring more round placed upon the target to guarantee destruction. It also has a 'spread' when firing for an extended period of time.
The Jet's primary 20mm will always be selected by default when upon entry on the aircraft and the pilot can switch back and forth between their primary and secondary weapons noted by the change in Heads-Up-Display (HUD). The cannon is extremely accurate even at long ranges with a high muzzle but even then, the pilot must still take into account of target speed and adjust accordingly to compensate for longer distances by leading the target. The weapon contains unlimited ammunition but firing continuously for 3 or 4 seconds will overheat the cannon and the pilot will be forced to wait the same amount of time before being able to use it again. The 20mm's distinct firing report, muzzle flash and tracer can give the aircraft's position away.
The 20mm is the default Gunner seat's secondary weapon for the AH-1Z Viper. Unlike its Stealth Jet -mounted counterpart, the cannon can traverse around at a 200 degree angle, slower muzzle velocity, fires high-explosive rounds containing light splash damage but ammunition limited to 30 rounds before the need the reload and no overheat. The Attack Helicopter's 20mm can devastate large pockets of enemy troops when allowed to hover temporarily over a high-traffic location, especially when equipped with Thermal Optics. It also has the ability to damage vehicles. All in all, the Attack Helicopter's 20mm still retains many operational similarities and properties as its Fighter Jet counterpart.
For Mobile Anti-Aircraft vehicles, the 20mm is the default starting Primary Weapon. Over its 30mm equip-able Primary weapon counterpart, it deals lighter damage but has a higher muzzle velocity, fire rate and overheat threshold. It functions similarly to its Stealth Jet counterpart but unlike its Attack Helicopter Variant, it can traverse in a 360 degree swivel to attack any and all targets at a high angle or almost any angle both horizontally and vertically. The weapon's distinctive muzzle report, flash and tracer cam give the operator's position away to enemy forces.
Damage Statistics & Effects
The following is a list of effects and damage to specific vehicle types from an entire full-length burst from the 20mm cannon. Vehicles not listed are vehicles which are destroyed within a single full-length burst. Such includes Jets of all types, Quad Bikes and PWCs for Stealth Jets, and Quad Bikes, PWCs, M142 HIMARS, Jeeps of all Types, RHIB Boats and Jets of all types for Mobile Anti-Aircraft.
For added consistency, damage results were gathered with all shells striking the target in one full-length burst with no misses, and without the "Belt Feeder" vehicle specialisation equipped. Only the highest damage output recorded are listed, rounded off to the nearest '5'.
Damage results are gathered post-2015 Battlefield 4: Legacy Operations update and are subject to change without notice by game developers from time to time.
Stealth Jet 20mm Cannon
| Vehicle Type | Total damage |
|---|---|
| Main Battle Tank | ≈ 20 |
| Infantry Fighting Vehicle | ≈ 20 |
| Mobile Anti-Aircraft | ≈ 20 |
| M142 HIMARS | ≈ 65 |
| Light Jeep | ≈ 90 |
| MRAP Jeep | ≈ 75 |
| Attack Boat | ≈ 25 |
| RHIB Boat | ≈ 65 |
| Transport Helicopter | ≈ 95 |
| Attack Helicopter | ≈ 95 |
| Scout Helicopter | ≈ 95 |
Mobile Anti-Aircraft 20mm Cannon
| Vehicle Type | Total damage |
|---|---|
| Main Battle Tank | ≈ 30 |
| Infantry Fighting Vehicle | ≈ 40 |
| Mobile Anti-Aircraft | ≈ 40 |
| Attack Boat | ≈ 55 |
Gallery
Patch Notes
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Trivia
- The HUD of the secondary gunner's position of the US AH-1Z Viper mistakenly reads '30mm' when the aircraft actually only fires 20mm shells.