109 MG/FF 20mm

[Nefarious]

The MG/FF have poor ballistics, slower rate of fire because of synchronization with the propeller, and the typical convergence issues with wing mounted guns.

I was reading the AH Wiki about the 109E, preparing for BOB, and I thought this was an interesting comment, is this true?

The 109E's 20mm is clearly outside of the arc of the its propeller? Why would it need to be synchronized?

[Anaxogoras]

I don't think you need me to tell ya that the 109E cannons are not synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.

Btw, I find the 109E cannons to be far easier to hit with than, say, the 30mm Mk 108 of the 109K.  Just set them to 200 yards and get close.  They're more effective when the target is in a slight turn; from straight 6 o'clock it can be a pain.

[Motherland]

Btw, I find the 109E cannons to be far easier to hit with than, say, the 30mm Mk 108 of the 109K.  Just set them to 200 yards and get close.  They're more effective when the target is in a slight turn; from straight 6 o'clock it can be a pain.

Well of course they're easier to hit with, they're 20mm's after all, but I wouldn't call them far easier to hit with. In any case whatever advantage in ease of aiming the MG/FF has over the Mk108 does not go far enough to actually make up for the fact that it doesn't do much when it actually does hit.


As far as synchronization, I do not think they're synchronized, as they clearly fire outside of the propeller arc, rather that it's just the poor design of the cannon that causes it to have a slow rate of fire.

[Tony Williams]

Advanced Primer Ignition Blowback guns, like the MG-FF, the Japanese 20mm Type 99 and the 30mm MK 108, could not be synchronised: it was a technical impossibility.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website

[Nefarious]

Thanks Tony. 

[Spikes]

I don't think you need me to tell ya that the 109E cannons are not synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.

Btw, I find the 109E cannons to be far easier to hit with than, say, the 30mm Mk 108 of the 109K.  Just set them to 200 yards and get close.  They're more effective when the target is in a slight turn; from straight 6 o'clock it can be a pain.

Even then I find the F-4 a lot easier in that situation, simply for the fact that you have 1 line of fire.