Vickers K machine gun

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Vickers Gas Operated
Vickers K machine gun on a Fairey Battle bomber.
Type	Machine gun
Place of origin	UK
Service history
Used by	United Kingdom
Production history
Manufacturer	Vickers-Armstrongs
Specifications
Weight	29.5 lb (13.4 kg)
Length	37 in (0.93 m)

Cartridge	.303 British
Calibre	0.303 in (7.7 mm)
Action	gas
Rate of fire	950 round/min
Feed system	drum 60/100

The Vickers K gun, known as the Vickers Gas Operated (VGO) in British service, was a rapid-firing machine gun developed for use by in aircraft. The high rate of fire was needed for the short window of opportunity when the gunner would be able to fire at an attacking aircraft.

[edit] History

The Vickers K was a development of the Vickers-Berthier (VB) light machine gun. When the Browning Model 1919 machine gun was selected as the standard machine-gun armament for British aircraft, VBs became redundant.

[edit] Combat use

The Vickers K was fitted to a number of two- and three seater aircraft in British service such as the Fairey Swordfish, Fairey Battle and Handley Page Hampden. It was also used in gun turrets, such as the dorsal turret in the Bristol Blenheim or the nose turret in the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley.

SAS returning from a 1943 patrol in North Africa with their twin-mounted Vickers K machine guns.

The Vickers K was used in a limited way by British ground forces. The Special Air Service adopted it for their hit and run tactics, mounting it in pairs on their jeeps. In a similar manner, the Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron of the Reconnaissance Corps had VGO's on their jeeps when they were attached to the 1st Airborne Division during Operation Market-Garden in September 1944. Royal Marine and Army Commandos used the VGO in an infantry support role/squad automatic weapon briefly around D-Day. In military service it was known as Gun, Machine, Vickers G.O. .303-inch.