The MG81 GPMG

Cutaway · 13-12-2007, 01:56 PM

The MG81, Its rate of fire was around 1,500/1,600RPM, Calibre: 7.92mm, Weight: 6.5kg and was the Luftwaffe's version of the MG34. It was sometimes twin mounted making it the MG81Z enhancing the ROF to 3,000RPM.

Just why didnt this vicious weapon stay in production to today?, It would be a decent MG for doorgunners and should be chambered to 7.62/5.56NATO. Only thing is it lacks the barrel change but sure it can be sorted out.

Kyt · 13-12-2007, 02:11 PM

Why wasn't it produced after the war? Because there was no need for it. The Brownings were tested and proved for that job. And the production facilities were there.

The MG 81 was specifically designed for aircraft use, hence there was little need to barrel changing because they weren't fired as much and the airflow cooled them. It also had an extremely high rate of fire and as the MG 42 showed this wasn't necessarily a good thing.

By the time that high rate MGs were required as door guns for helicopters the gatling style guns had been developed. And redesigning and re-engineering an MG, especially after the production facilities had been destroyed just wasn't economic.

So like a lot of weapons, it did its job during the war but wasn't needed after.

Kyt · 13-12-2007, 02:16 PM

BTW it wasn't a GPMG - it was an aircraft gun. A GPMG is a ground designation.

Cutaway · 13-12-2007, 07:32 PM

Miniguns are powerful weapons but need electric supply and shoot off a sh1t load of ammo. The MG81 is still a fast firing weapon, Automatic and could be converted to a GPMG if needed as some were when the Luftwaffe replaced them in aircraft with the MG 131.

Kyt · 13-12-2007, 07:51 PM

Well the 81 also shot off a load of ammo as there was no semi-auto mode. A soldier would have had to have been very well trained to use it properly and not waste ammo.

With that in mind, don't forget that a lot of ammo would have had to have been carried for it to be useful. Not a problem on an aircraft, or even when it was used in semi-static AA defence but certainly would have been on the battlefield. Couple with the fact that the barrel couldn't changed, the MG81 was only really used as an emergency measure as the German became desperate.