Autocannon

Automatic cannon are rapid-firing, high-velocity guns with bores of roughly 20 to 57 millimetres, and armed forces have relied on them for more than a century. This book follows how these weapons and their ammunition developed, from their beginnings in the late nineteenth century to the present day. An opening overview outlines the main stages of that progress.

Later chapters turn to the engineering behind the guns and their rounds. They set out the basic principles of gun and cartridge design, including unusual mechanisms that depart from conventional practice. The cartridge survey then runs in order of calibre, from 20mm up to 57mm, covering ammunition that entered service as well as many experimental designs that never did.

The final section catalogues the cannon by country of origin and, once again, includes numerous experimental models alongside production weapons. Across the volume, technical data is provided for about 200 cartridges and 400 cannon, illustrated with nearly 500 images. The author, Anthony G. Williams, drew on many years of research to compile it.