Vickers 40 mm Class S gun

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	Weapon: Vickers 40 mm Class S gun Type: Autocannon Country of Origin: United Kingdom Year Adopted: 1942 Overall Length (mm): 2970.0 Overall Length (in): 116.93 Weight (kg): 320.00 Weight (pounds): 705.48

The Vickers 40 mm Class S gun was a British-designed aircraft autocannon developed during World War II to fulfill a need for airborne anti-armor capabilities. Based on the 40 mm 2-pounder (QF) naval gun, the Class S was adapted for aircraft use by the Vickers company, incorporating a long-recoil action and belt-fed mechanism. It fired 40x158 mm rounds and was typically mounted in underwing pods. Weighing approximately 320 kg (705 lbs), it was a large and powerful weapon, primarily intended for use against enemy armored vehicles and trains.

The gun entered service in 1942 and was most famously deployed on the Hawker Hurricane Mk IID and Mk IV aircraft, forming the backbone of the Royal Air Force's "tank buster" squadrons in North Africa. Despite its destructive power, the Vickers S gun had a slow rate of fire and significant recoil, which limited its overall effectiveness and accuracy in combat. Nonetheless, it proved valuable in ground attack roles against lightly armored or soft-skinned targets and served with distinction in the desert campaigns. Production numbers were relatively modest, with several hundred units built and installed before the gun was ultimately phased out.

The notoriety of the Vickers 40 mm S gun lies in its bold application of heavy-caliber firepower in an aerial context. Although it was ultimately surpassed by rockets and lighter autocannons as more flexible anti-armor solutions, its presence on Hurricane tank busters gave Allied forces a psychological and tactical edge in disrupting enemy supply lines and armored formations. The Vickers S remains a notable example of mid-war innovation, when air forces experimented with a range of specialized weapon systems to meet evolving battlefield demands.

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