How can you compare the power of the guns used on different aircraft? There is a formula that does just that
BRIEFING FILE
Under the skin of aviation technology and tactics
ARTWORK: IAN BOTT
From the earliest days of air combat, it was hard to hit an enemy aircraft with a single rifle-calibre machine gun. Even then, unless a bullet hit the pilot or an aeroplane’s limited number of vital parts, it would often simply not cause any effective damage.
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