Editing Autocannon (section)

=== Modern era ===
[[File:Italian Army - Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo" Freccia IFV.jpg|left|thumb|[[Oerlikon KBA]] automatic cannon turret on a [[Freccia IFV|IFV Freccia]].]]

The development of guided missiles was thought to render cannons unnecessary, and a full generation of western fighter aircraft was built without them. In contrast, all [[Eastern Bloc]] aircraft kept their guns.<ref name="Gunston-MAC">Gunston, Bill and Mike Spick. ''Modern Air Combat''. New York: Crescent Books, 1983. {{ISBN|0-517-41265-9}}</ref> During the [[Vietnam War]], however, the [[United States Air Force]] realized that cannons were useful for firing warning shots and for attacking targets that did not warrant the expenditure of a (much more expensive) missile, and, more importantly, as an additional weapon if the aircraft had expended all its missiles or enemy aircraft were inside of the missiles' minimum [[target acquisition]] range in a high-G close range engagement. This was particularly important with the lower reliability of early air-to-air missile technology, such as that employed during the Vietnam War. As a consequence, fighters at the time had cannons added back in external "gun pods", and virtually all fighter aircraft retain autocannons in integral internal mounts to this day.

[[File:Pandur2 1457.JPG|thumb|[[Samson Remote Controlled Weapon Station|RCWS-30]] automatic cannon turret on a Czech [[Pandur II]]]]

After the Second World War, autocannons continued to serve as a versatile weapon in land, sea, and air applications. Examples of modern autocannons include the 25&nbsp;mm [[Oerlikon KBA]] mounted on the [[Freccia IFV|IFV Freccia]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Freccia IFV (2006)|url=https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/modern/Italy/Freccia-IFV.php|access-date=2021-02-28|website=www.tanks-encyclopedia.com}}</ref> the [[M242]] Bushmaster mounted on the [[M2 Bradley|M2/M3 Bradley]], updated versions of the [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70|Bofors 40 mm gun]], and the [[Mauser BK-27]]. The 20&nbsp;mm [[M61A1]] is an example of an electrically powered rotary autocannon. Another role that has come into association with autocannons are that of [[close-in weapon system]]s on naval vessels, which are used to destroy [[anti-ship missile]]s and low flying aircraft.