# Engine gun > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Engine_gun > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Engine_gun.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_gun > Source revision: 1340085362 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Aircraft gun mounting position French [Hispano-Suiza 12Y](/source/Hispano-Suiza_12Y) aircraft engine (cylinders removed) with [Hispano-Suiza HS.404](/source/Hispano-Suiza_HS.404) engine gun mounted [Luftwaffe](/source/Luftwaffe) soldier inspects the engine gun alignment of a [Bf 109](/source/Bf_109) fighter aircraft Firing channel on a [Daimler-Benz DB 605](/source/Daimler-Benz_DB_605) for an engine gun. An **engine gun**, or **engine cannon** (from [German](/source/German_language): *Motorkanone*, "motor cannon"), is an [aircraft gun](/source/List_of_aircraft_weapons) mounted behind and through the [cylinder block](/source/Cylinder_block) of an [inline aircraft engine](/source/Inline_engine_(aeronautics)) (most often a [V engine](/source/V_engine)) with a [reduction drive](/source/Reduction_drive) that displaces the propeller axle to be in line with the gun so that [gunfire](/source/Gunfire) is allowed through the [propeller hub](/source/Propeller_hub). This allows for nose-mounted weaponry on aircraft without the need for [synchronization gear](/source/Synchronization_gear) while also permitting higher calibers for nose-mounted weaponry, which otherwise would be hard to adapt for synchronization gear.[1] The first time this was done was during [World War I](/source/World_War_I) when the French modified the [Hispano-Suiza 8](/source/Hispano-Suiza_8) engine to be able to install a 37 mm autocannon.[2] The concept was used widely before the [Jet Age](/source/Jet_Age). ## Historical engine guns ### Finnish guns - 12.7 mm [VKT 12,70 LKk/42](/source/Mitrailleuse_d'Avion_Browning_-_F.N._Calibre_13%2C2_mm) (single use on a [Morane-Saulnier MS.406](/source/Morane-Saulnier_MS.406)) ### French guns - 7.5 mm [MAC 1934](/source/MAC_1934) - 20 mm [Hispano-Suiza HS.404](/source/Hispano-Suiza_HS.404) - 37 mm [SAMC](/source/Canon_d'Infanterie_de_37_mod%C3%A8le_1916_TRP) (*Semi Automatique Moteur Canon*) ### German guns - 7.9 mm [MG 17 machine gun](/source/MG_17_machine_gun) - 20 mm [MG 151 cannon](/source/MG_151_cannon) - 30 mm [MK 103 cannon](/source/MK_103_cannon) - 30 mm [MK 108 cannon](/source/MK_108_cannon) ### Soviet guns - 12.7 mm [Berezin UB](/source/Berezin_UB) - 20 mm [Berezin B-20](/source/Berezin_B-20) - 20 mm [ShVAK cannon](/source/ShVAK_cannon) - 23 mm [Nudelman-Suranov NS-23](/source/Nudelman-Suranov_NS-23) - 37 mm [Nudelman-Suranov NS-37](/source/Nudelman-Suranov_NS-37) - 37 mm [Nudelman N-37](/source/Nudelman_N-37) - 45 mm [Nudelman-Suranov NS-45](/source/Nudelman-Suranov_NS-45) ### Swiss guns - 20 mm [Oerlikon FF](/source/Oerlikon_FF) ## Engine gun installations A geared-output shaft [HS 8C](/source/Hispano-Suiza_8) engine for a [SPAD S.XII](/source/SPAD_S.XII) WWI aircraft, showing the elevated [intake manifold](/source/Intake_manifold) to clear the 37 mm cannon (shown to the right) mounted in the "V" between the cylinder banks. ### French engines - [Hispano-Suiza 8](/source/Hispano-Suiza_8) (various models) - [Hispano-Suiza 12Y](/source/Hispano-Suiza_12Y) ### German engines - [Daimler-Benz DB 603](/source/Daimler-Benz_DB_603) - [Daimler-Benz DB 605](/source/Daimler-Benz_DB_605) ### Soviet engines - [Klimov M-105](/source/Klimov_M-105) - [Klimov VK-106](/source/Klimov_VK-106) - [Klimov VK-107](/source/Klimov_VK-107) ### Swiss engines - [Saurer YS-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saurer_YS-2&action=edit&redlink=1) - [Saurer YS-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saurer_YS-3&action=edit&redlink=1) ## Aircraft with engine guns ### Czechoslovak aircraft Czechoslovak [Avia Bk-534](/source/Avia_B-534), a [biplane](/source/Biplane) with a 20 mm engine gun - [Avia Bk-534](/source/Avia_B-534) - [Avia B-135](/source/Avia_B-135) ### Finnish aircraft - [Mörkö Morane](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M%C3%B6rk%C3%B6_Morane&action=edit&redlink=1) ### French aircraft French [SPAD S.XII](/source/SPAD_S.XII), a [World War I](/source/World_War_I) aircraft with a 37 mm engine gun - [Dewoitine D.500](/source/Dewoitine_D.500) - [Dewoitine D.520](/source/Dewoitine_D.520) - [Loire-Nieuport LN.401](/source/Loire-Nieuport_LN.401) - [Morane-Saulnier M.S.405](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [Morane-Saulnier M.S.406](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [Morane-Saulnier M.S.410](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [Morane-Saulnier M.S.411](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [Morane-Saulnier M.S.412](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [Morane-Saulnier M.S.450](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [SPAD S.XII](/source/SPAD_S.XII) ### German aircraft - [Blohm & Voss BV 155](/source/Blohm_%26_Voss_BV_155) - [Dornier Do 335](/source/Dornier_Do_335) - [Heinkel He 100](/source/Heinkel_He_100) - [Heinkel He 112](/source/Heinkel_He_112) (*"kanonenvogel"*) - [Messerschmitt Bf 109](/source/Messerschmitt_Bf_109) - [Focke-Wulf Fw 190](/source/Focke-Wulf_Fw_190) (D-12, D-13 Variants) - [Focke-Wulf Ta 152](/source/Focke-Wulf_Ta_152) ### Italian aircraft [Fiat G.55 Centauro](/source/Fiat_G.55_Centauro) with engine gun ([MG 151/20](/source/MG_151%2F20)) - [Fiat G.55 Centauro](/source/Fiat_G.55_Centauro) - [Fiat G.56](/source/Fiat_G.55_Centauro) - [Macchi C.205 Veltro](/source/Macchi_C.205_Veltro) - [Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario](/source/Reggiane_Re.2005_Sagittario) - [Savoia-Marchetti SM.92](/source/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.92) ### Soviet aircraft [Yakovlev Yak-9K](/source/Yakovlev_Yak-9) with the 45 mm [Nudelman-Suranov NS-45](/source/Nudelman-Suranov_NS-45) engine gun mounted - [Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3](/source/Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov_LaGG-3) - [Yakovlev Yak-1](/source/Yakovlev_Yak-1) - [Yakovlev Yak-3](/source/Yakovlev_Yak-3) - [Yakovlev Yak-7](/source/Yakovlev_Yak-7) - [Yakovlev Yak-9](/source/Yakovlev_Yak-9) ### Swedish aircraft - [SAAB 23](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SAAB_23&action=edit&redlink=1) ### Swiss aircraft Swiss [EKW C-3604](/source/EKW_C-36), an [attacker](/source/Attack_aircraft) with a 20 mm engine gun - [C-35](/source/EKW_C-35) - [C-3603](/source/EKW_C-36) - [C-3604](/source/EKW_C-36) - [D-3800](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [D-3801](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [D-3802](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) - [D-3803](/source/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406) ### Yugoslavian aircraft - [Ikarus S-49](/source/Ikarus_S-49) - [Rogožarski IK-3](/source/Rogo%C5%BEarski_IK-3) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["PART V AUTOMATIC AIRCRAFT CANNON"](https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/MG/I/MG-5.html). *ibiblio.org*. Retrieved 2025-05-18. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Thorsson_75_2-0)** Thorsson, Nils (1975). *Historik och kartläggning av vapenmateriel för flygplan*. Arboga, Sweden. p. 25.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher)) ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Engine guns](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Engine_guns). --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Engine gun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_gun) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_gun?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.