MK 103 cannon

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	Weapon: MK 103 cannon Type: Autocannon Country of Origin: Germany Year Adopted: 1943 Caliber: 30x184B Action: Gas Operated Fully Automatic Overall Length (mm): 2335.0 Overall Length (in): 91.93 Weight (kg): 141.00 Weight (pounds): 310.85 Effective Range (m): 1200 m Effective Range (yards): 1312.34

The Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 was a German 30x184 mmB autocannon developed from the earlier MK 101 to provide a high-velocity, belt-fed weapon for both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles. The MK 103 used a gas-operated, locked-breech mechanism that delivered higher muzzle velocity and a faster practical rate of fire than its predecessor, making it effective against lightly armoured vehicles and hardened aircraft structures when firing armour-piercing and high-explosive rounds.

Production ran from roughly 1942 into 1945 under Rheinmetall-Borsig (with additional manufacture elsewhere under wartime control), and German wartime records indicate substantial orders - for example an Army report noting orders for some 3,000 examples (2,000 from Rheinmetall and 1,000 from Suhl) - though many units never reached front-line service before the war's end. The MK 103 saw use in specialized installations: as the primary weapon of the Henschel Hs 129 ground-attack aircraft, in underwing gondolas on selected Fw 190 variants, in some Me 410 and Do 335 installations, and later in ground-based AA and armoured mounts such as late war Flakpanzer conversions.

In the Henschel Hs 129B-2/R3 variant, the MK 103 was mounted in a conformal gun pod beneath the fuselage, aligned along the aircraft's centerline for maximum accuracy. The installation typically carried a belt of around 100-150 rounds, depending on ammunition type and mission requirements, with armor-piercing incendiary and high-explosive shells being common. Effective range against ground targets was generally about 600-800 meters for precise fire, though the gun's high muzzle velocity allowed harassment of soft targets beyond 1,000 meters. This configuration made the Hs 129 one of the Luftwaffe's most formidable dedicated tank-busters.

On the Dornier Do 335 heavy fighter, the MK 103 appeared in an engine-mounted configuration, firing through an opening in the center of the nose. The engine-mounted MK 103s were fed from drum magazines holding around 70 rounds, allowing short but devastating bursts. Intended for use against armored vehicles, trains, and heavily built aircraft, these guns extended the Do 335's versatility as a multi-role platform, though few saw operational combat due to the war's end.

The MK 103 gained a reputation as one of the Luftwaffe's most potent serial 30 mm guns - prized for its penetrating power and versatility but limited by weight, recoil, and the logistical strain of late-war production and deployment. Operational comparisons with other German 30 mm weapons (notably the lower-velocity, higher-rate MK 108) highlighted tradeoffs between hit probability and volume of fire; nevertheless, the MK 103's role as a dual-purpose anti-armour/aircraft weapon and its late-war appearances in unusual mounts (including self-propelled and naval adapters) secured its notoriety among WWII autocannons.