40 mm Bofors gun
| Bofors 40 mm gun | |
|---|---|
Bofors 40 mm/L60. This example includes the British-designed Stiffkey Sight, being operated by the gun layer standing on the right. The layer operates the trapeze seen above the sights, moving them to adjust for lead. The loader stands to the layer's left, and the two trainer/aimers are sitting on either side of the gun.
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| Type | |
| Place of origin | Sweden |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1934–present |
| Used by | See users |
| Wars |
World War II, Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts, Arab–Israeli conflict, Korean War, Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, Vietnam War, Yom Kippur War, South African Border War, Falklands War, Lebanese Civil War, Gulf War, Yugoslav wars Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), Saudi-led intervention in Yemen |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Bofors Defence |
| Designed | 1930 |
| Manufacturer | Bofors Defence (1932–2000) United Defense Industries (2000–2006) BAE Systems AB (2006–present) |
| Produced | 1932–present |
| Variants | See variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
L/60: 1,981 kg (4,367 lb) |
| Crew | dependent on use |
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| Shell | Complete round: L/60 40×311mmR (1.57 in) L/70 40×364mmR |
| Caliber | 40 mm L/60–70 (actual length varies from 56–70 calibers, based on model) |
| Carriage | 522 kg (1,151 lb) |
| Elevation | L/60: -5°/+90° (55°/s) L/70: -20°/+80° (57°/s) |
| Traverse | Full 360° L/60: 50°/s L/70: 92°/s |
| Rate of fire | L/60: 120 round/min L/70: 330 round/min |
| Muzzle velocity | L/60: 881 m/s (2,890 ft/s) L/70: 1,021 m/s (3,350 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | L/60: 7,160 m (23,490 ft) L/70: 12,500 m (41,000 ft) |
L/60: 1,981 kg (4,367 lb)
The Bofors 40 mm gun, often referred to simply as the Bofors gun, is an anti-aircraft/multi-purpose designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. It was one of the most popular medium-weight anti-aircraft systems during World War II, used by most of the western Allies as well as by the Axis powers. A small number of these weapons remain in service to this day, and saw action as late as the Gulf War.
In the post-war era the original design was not suitable for action against jet powered aircraft, so Bofors introduced a new model of significantly more power, the 40 mm L/70. In spite of sharing almost nothing with the original design other than the calibre and the distinctive conical flash hider, this weapon is also widely known simply as "the Bofors". Although not as popular as the original L/60 model, the L/70 remains in service, especially as a multi-purpose weapon for light armored vehicles, as on the CV 90.
Bofors itself has been part of BAE Systems AB since March 2005.
The Swedish Navy purchased a number of 2 pounder Pom-Poms from Vickers as anti-aircraft guns in 1922. The Navy approached Bofors about the development of a more capable replacement. Bofors signed a contract in late 1928. Bofors produced a gun that was a smaller version of a 57 mm (6-pounder) semi-automatic gun developed as an anti-torpedo boat weapon in the late 19th century by Finspong. Their first test gun was a re-barreled Nordenfelt version of the Finspong gun, to which was added a semi-automatic loading mechanism.
Testing of this gun in 1929 demonstrated that a problem existed feeding the weapon in order to maintain a reasonable rate of fire. A mechanism that was strong enough to handle the stresses of moving the large round was too heavy to move quickly enough to fire rapidly. One attempt to solve this problem used zinc shell cases that burned up when fired. This proved to leave heavy zinc deposits in the barrel, and had to be abandoned. In the summer of 1930 experiments were made with a new test gun that did away with controlled feed and instead flicked the spent casing out the rear whereafter a second mechanism reloaded the gun by "throwing" a fresh round from the magazine into the open breech. This seemed to be the solution they needed, improving firing rates to an acceptable level, and the work on a prototype commenced soon after.
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