Lindcott Armory Autocannon · Military
20mm Hispano
The 20×110mm cartridge of the Hispano-Suiza HS.404 aircraft autocannon, the standard 20 mm gun of British and American fighters in the second half of WWII.
- Introduced
- 1938
- Type
- Autocannon
- Origin
- Switzerland/France
- Inventor
- Marc Birkigt
- Manufacturer
- Hispano-Suiza
- Standard
- Military
- Status
- Obsolete
- Availability
- Not commercially available
- Bullet ⌀
- 0.787″
- Case length
- 4.331″
- Overall length
- 7.24″
- Primer
- Electric/percussion (military)
- Case type
- Rimless
Ballistics
- Velocity
- 2,750–2,900 fps
- Energy
- —
- Parent case
- —
Representative trajectory — modeled from a single velocity input, not a measured load.
Reloading cost
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Connected reference
History
Designed by Marc Birkigt at Hispano-Suiza in the 1930s, the HS.404 and its 20×110mm round armed the Spitfire, Hurricane, Typhoon, and many U.S. aircraft. Its hitting power far exceeded rifle-caliber machine guns and drove the wartime shift to cannon armament in fighters.
FAQs
- What bullet diameter is 20mm Hispano?
- 20mm Hispano uses a 0.787″ (20 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is 20mm Hispano still in production?
- 20mm Hispano is obsolete; typical availability is not commercially available.
- What is 20mm Hispano used for?
- 20mm Hispano is primarily used for military.
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. Spotted an error? Report it →