Oerlikon Contraves
Encyclopedia
Rheinmetall Air Defence AG is a division of German
armament manufacturer Rheinmetall
, created when the company's Oerlikon Contraves unit was renamed on 1 January 2009 and integrated with Rheinmetall's other air-defence products. Oerlikon Contraves was a Swiss
anti-aircraft artillery manufacturer famous for its adaptation of the 1916 20 mm Becker
as the Oerlikon 20 mm
autocannon
design, which was used in the and Second World War
s and still in use today. Copies and derivatives of these designs were made by German, French, British, and Japanese weapon manufacturers. Oerlikon Contraves was purchased by Rheinmetall
, a German armament manufacturer, in 1999.
, Rheinmetall Air Defence claimed about 1,050 employees at locations in Switzerland, Germany, Italy
, and Canada
. The group's sales were about .
in 1906.
In 1923 it acquired a factory in Germany
. It entered the anti-aircraft defence field in 1924. In 1936, it founded a purely anti-aircraft development company called Contraves (contra aves is Latin
for "against birds"). In 1989, the Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon-Bührle and Contraves merged to form the Oerlikon-Contraves Group, later renamed Oerlikon Contraves Defence.
Oerlikon Contraves was purchased by Rheinmetall
, a German armament manufacturer, in 1999, and renamed Rheinmetall Air Defence AG on 1 January 2009.
, Rheinmetall's website no longer lists these products as part of the Air Defence group.
American versions of the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
, such as the Mk 4, Mk 10, and Mk 24, were used extensively from World War II to the Vietnam War
. Originally used as anti-aircraft
weapons by the US Navy
, they were frequently the last line of defense against kamikaze
attacks. Most combat ships from aircraft carrier
s to PT boat
s were equipped with Oerlikon guns. In Vietnam they were widely employed by riverine
forces as anti-personnel weapon
s. They remained in service until the 1970s, when they were replaced by the Mk 16 20 mm cannon.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
armament manufacturer Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...
, created when the company's Oerlikon Contraves unit was renamed on 1 January 2009 and integrated with Rheinmetall's other air-defence products. Oerlikon Contraves was a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
anti-aircraft artillery manufacturer famous for its adaptation of the 1916 20 mm Becker
20 mm Becker
The 20 mm Becker was a German automatic cannon developed for aircraft use during World War I. It was first mass produced in 1916 and was installed in a variety of aircraft; the only German autocannon to actually see service in the air during the war....
as the Oerlikon 20 mm
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
autocannon
Autocannon
An autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...
design, which was used in the and Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
s and still in use today. Copies and derivatives of these designs were made by German, French, British, and Japanese weapon manufacturers. Oerlikon Contraves was purchased by Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...
, a German armament manufacturer, in 1999.
, Rheinmetall Air Defence claimed about 1,050 employees at locations in Switzerland, Germany, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The group's sales were about .
History
Oerlikon's earliest predecessor was Schweizerische Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon, founded in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1906.
In 1923 it acquired a factory in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It entered the anti-aircraft defence field in 1924. In 1936, it founded a purely anti-aircraft development company called Contraves (contra aves is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "against birds"). In 1989, the Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon-Bührle and Contraves merged to form the Oerlikon-Contraves Group, later renamed Oerlikon Contraves Defence.
Oerlikon Contraves was purchased by Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...
, a German armament manufacturer, in 1999, and renamed Rheinmetall Air Defence AG on 1 January 2009.
Products
Rheinmetall Air Defence specializes in ground-based and naval air defence. Their products include search-and-tracking sensors, 35 mm air-defence guns, command-and-control posts, battle management, and ship-based combat systems.Naval systems
- Search and Acquisition Radar: Oerlikon X-TAR3D/M
- Radar and Electro Optical Tracking Modules: Oerlikon TMX/EO NT and Oerlikon TMX/EO Mk2
- Naval Gun Systems: Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun SystemOerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun SystemThe Oerlikon Millennium 35mm Naval Gun System is a Close-in weapon system designed by Oerlikon for mounting on ships. It is based on the new Oerlikon 35 mm revolver cannon land based Air defense system, and uses AHEAD ammunition...
- Command and Control: Oerlikon Seaguard Command and Control Console and Oerlikon Weapon Control Module
Ground-based air defence
- Ground Based Air Defence Unit: Oerlikon SkyshieldSkyshieldSkyshield is the name for two different products: one is the Skyshield advanced Airborne Support Jammer system developed by Rafael LTD. in Israel. The other is the Skyshield Short Range Air Defence system developed by the Swiss corporation Oerlikon Contraves...
- Mobile Air Defence: Oerlikon Skyranger
- Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannonOerlikon 35 mm twin cannonThe Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon is a towed anti-aircraft gun made by Oerlikon Contraves . The system was originally designated as 2 ZLA/353 ML but this was later changed to GDF-001...
- Air Defense Anti-Tank SystemAir Defense Anti-Tank SystemThe Air Defense Anti-Tank System is a dual-purpose short range surface-to-air and anti-tank missile system based on the M113A2 vehicle. It is manufactured by the Swiss company Oerlikon-Contraves, a member of the Rheinmetall Defence Group of Germany....
- LLM01 laser light module for firearmsLLM01The LLM01 is an adaptive target acquisition module made by Oerlikon Contraves GmbH in Stockach, Germany. It is designed to be mounted with a metal integral quick release clamping adapter on the left side of the carry handle adapter of Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifles...
Civilian products
Oerlikon Contraves subsidiary Oerlikon Transtec manufactured railcar and locomotive systems, including locomotive brakes, subway and electric train power conversion systems, and other subsidiary systems for mass-transit vehicles., Rheinmetall's website no longer lists these products as part of the Air Defence group.
Historic products
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
, such as the Mk 4, Mk 10, and Mk 24, were used extensively from World War II to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Originally used as anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
weapons by the US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, they were frequently the last line of defense against kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attacks. Most combat ships from aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s to PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
s were equipped with Oerlikon guns. In Vietnam they were widely employed by riverine
Brown-water navy
Brown-water navy is a term that originated in the United States Navy, referring to the small gunboats and patrol boats used in rivers, along with some of the larger ships that supported them as "mother ships," from which they operated...
forces as anti-personnel weapon
Anti-personnel weapon
An anti-personnel weapon is one primarily used to incapacitate people, as opposed to attacking structures or vehicles.The development of defensive fortification and combat vehicles gave rise to weapons designed specifically to attack them, and thus a need to distinguish between those systems and...
s. They remained in service until the 1970s, when they were replaced by the Mk 16 20 mm cannon.
External links
- Rheinmetall-DeTec, parent company
- Official site