The need for a newer 20 mm defence cannon than the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon began to grow noticeably during the 1980s. The companies DCN and GIAT were contracted to design the F2 20 mm cannon, essentially a navalised version of the M693 gun used by the French Army, and sold for export.
Description
The 20 mm F2 is a mounted monotube gun, with two 150-cartridge boxes on each side of the piece. An electrical control system allows for a choice of three modes of fire: single shot, eight-shot burst, or free fire. There is an electrical trigger in the right hand of the gunner. A manual selector allows the gunner to change the box feeding the weapon during the firing, making mixed firing available. After each shot, the empty cartridge is ejected from beneath the weapon.
The gun is manoeuvred by the body of the gunner, who is attached to the weapon. Firing is guided through the same optical visor as used with the Bofors 40 mm gun and the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon.
The gun has been exported to Belgium (Tripartite-class minesweepers), Indonesia (Tripartite-class minesweepers), Malawi (Kasunga), Netherlands (Tripartite-class minesweepers), Pakistan (Tripartite-class minesweepers), and Saudi Arabia (NAJA 12 class).
