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Tempest Mk V of No. 501 Squadron RAF

Tempest Mk V of No. 501 Squadron RAF

Armorers loading ammunition into a Tempest of No. 501 Squadron RAF

The core of the Tempest’s firepower consisted of four 20 mm Hispano cannons. • For the Tempest Mark V Series 1 aircraft, these were longer-barrelled Hispano Mark II cannons that protruded approximately eight inches beyond the wing’s leading edge. • Later Mark V Series 2 and all Mark VI aircraft were equipped with the shorter-barrelled Hispano Mark V guns, which were fully contained within the wings. • The standard ammunition load for the four 20 mm Hispano cannons was 200 rounds per gun. Pilots regarded the Tempest as a “magnificent gun platform” due to its stability, which made its cannons highly accurate. For anti-V1 flying bomb operations, the cannons were harmonized to hit a specific point at a range of 300 yards.

Published at 1000 × 715 px.
Link to full-size photo: Tempest Mk V of No. 501 Squadron RAF