Editing Colt Mk 12 cannon

{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox weapon
|name= Colt Mk 12
| image= 20 mm Mk 12 cannon of RNZAF A-4K Skyhawk 1984.jpg
| image_size = 
|caption= Mk 12 cannon of a [[RNZAF]] [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk|Douglas A-4K Skyhawk]].
|origin= United States
|type= [[Autocannon]]
<!-- Type selection -->
|is_ranged= yes
<!-- Service history -->
|service= 1950s – present
|used_by=
|wars= [[Vietnam War]]<br />[[Falklands War]]<br />[[Gulf War]]
<!-- Production history -->
|designer=[[Colt's Manufacturing Company]]
|design_date=
|manufacturer=[[Colt's Manufacturing Company]]
|unit_cost=
|production_date=
|number=
|variants=
<!-- General specifications -->
|spec_label=
|weight= {{Convert|46.0|kg|abbr=on}}
|length=
|part_length=
|width=
|height=
|diameter=
|crew=
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
|cartridge=[[20×110mm USN]]
|caliber=[[20 mm caliber|20 mm (0.787 in)]]
|barrels=
|action= Gas-operated reloading
|rate= 1,000 rpm
|velocity= {{Convert|1010|m/s|abbr=on}}
|range=
|max_range=
|feed=
|sights=
}}
{{Lead too short|date=August 2023}}

The '''Colt Mk 12''' is a 20&nbsp;mm [[autocannon]] that was widely used by the [[United States Navy]] after [[World War II]].

==Development==
The Mk 12 was an advanced derivative of the wartime [[Hispano 20 mm cannon|Hispano HS 404]] that was used on French, British and some American [[fighter aircraft]] during [[World War II]]. It used a lighter projectile with a bigger charge for better [[muzzle velocity]] and higher rate of fire at the cost of hitting power. It entered [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] service in the mid-1950s, replacing the earlier M3 cannon.<ref>Williams, p. 327</ref>

In service, the Mk 12 proved less than satisfactory. Although its muzzle velocity and rate of fire were acceptable, it was inaccurate and frequently unreliable. Pilots of the [[F-8 Crusader]] over [[North Vietnam]], in particular, appreciated the presence of the cannon, but jams and stoppages were common, especially following hard [[dogfight]]ing maneuvers in high-g environments.

Nevertheless, the Mk 12 was standard cannon armament on gun-armed American naval fighters and attack aircraft from the early 1950s to the early 1970s, including the [[F4D Skyray]], [[F3H Demon]], [[A-4 Skyhawk]], [[F-8 Crusader]], [[F-11 Tiger]] and early navy versions of the [[LTV A-7 Corsair II]].

International customers of the [[A-4 Skyhawk]], [[F-8 Crusader]], and the [[A-7 Corsair II]] also used the Mk 12 cannon: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, [[Kuwait]], [[Malaysia]], New Zealand, the [[Philippines]] and Portugal. The only exceptions were Israel and [[Singapore]]. The [[Israeli Air Force]] replaced the Mk 12 cannon with the French 30&nbsp;mm [[DEFA cannon]] (a revolver design) in its Skyhawks, while the [[Republic of Singapore Air Force]] fitted the British 30&nbsp;mm [[ADEN cannon]] (another revolver). [[Indonesia]] later bought some used A-4s from Israel.

As of 2013, the Mk 12 cannon is still in use in Skyhawks of the [[Argentine Air Force]] and the [[Brazilian Navy]].

==See also==
* [[M39 cannon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Anthony G. |title=Autocannon: A History of Automatic Cannon and Their Ammunition |date=2022 |publisher=[[Robert Hale (publishers)|Crowood Press]] |location=Marlborough, UK |isbn=978-1-78500-920-4}}

{{commonscat|Mk 12 cannon}}


[[Category:Autocannon]]
[[Category:Aircraft guns]]
[[Category:20 mm artillery]]