| MG 81 | |
|---|---|
MG 81 (upper) and MG 81 Z (in box) |
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| Type | Machine gun |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Variants | MG 81 Z |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6.5 kg (14.33 lb) |
| Length | 965 mm (38.0 in) (with flash hider) |
| Barrel length | 475 mm (18.7 in) |
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| Cartridge | 8x57mm IS |
| Caliber | 7.9mm |
| Action | Recoil-operated |
| Rate of fire | 1,400-1,600 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 790 m/s (2,592 ft/s) |
| Feed system | Belt-fed |
The MG 81 was a German belt fed 7.9 mm machine gun, used in flexible installations in World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, replacing the older drum magazine-fed MG 15.
The MG 81 was developed by Mauser as a derivative of their successful MG 34 infantry machine gun. Development focus was to reduce production cost and time and to optimize for use in aircraft. Developed in 1938/1939, it was in production from 1940 to 1945.
A special twin-mount MG 81Z (Zwilling-twin) was introduced in 1942, which paired up two of the weapons on one mount, to provide even more firepower with max 3200 rounds/min without requiring much more space than a standard machine gun.
Contents |
The MG 81Z can be found in many unique installations in the Luftwaffe. Some of the more known applications, are a pair of MG 81Z's installed in the hollow tail cone of the Dornier Do 217. Designated R19 (R for Rüstsätze) for the factory designed field kit, it allows the pilot of the Do 217 to shoot at pursuers. Another application was the "Watering can", an externally mounted pod with 3 sets of guns and ammo meant to be attached to a Junkers Ju 88 and used to strafe ground targets.
