Breda-SAFAT machine gun
| Breda Mod. SAFAT cal. 7,7 Breda Mod. SAFAT cal. 12,7 | |
|---|---|
A 12.7 mm (0.500 in) Breda-SAFAT machine gun on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | |
| Type | Machine-gun |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | Since 1928 to 1970s |
| Used by | Regia Aeronautica Royal Hungarian Air Force Royal Iraqi Air Force Swedish Air Force Finnish Air Force Imperial Japanese Army Air Service Aviación Nacional Royal Yugoslav Air Force Syrian Army |
| Wars | Spanish Civil War Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Six Day War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Giuseppe Mascarucci |
| Designed | 1927 |
| Manufacturer | SAFAT from 1928 to 1930 Breda since 1930 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 12 kg (26 lb) (7.7 mm) 28.9 kg (64 lb) (12.7 mm) |
| Length | 108.5 cm (42.7 in) (7.7 mm) 138.5 cm (54.5 in) (12.7 mm) |
| Barrel length | 66 cm (26 in) (7.7 mm) 80 cm (31 in) (12.7 mm) |
| Cartridge | 7.7x56mmR light, 12.7x81mmSR heavy |
| Caliber | 7.7 mm (0.303 in) 12.7 mm (0.50 in) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Short recoil |
| Rate of fire | 900 rounds/min (7.7 mm) 700 rounds/min (575 rounds/min synchronized) (12.7 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 730 metres per second (2,400 ft/s) (7.7 mm) 760 metres per second (2,500 ft/s) (12.7 mm) |
| Feed system | Belt-fed |
Breda Mod. SAFAT cal. 7,7 and Breda Mod. SAFAT cal. 12,7, also known as Breda Mod. SAFAT 7.7 and Breda Mod. SAFAT 12.7, 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT and 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT, or more commonly as Breda-SAFAT 7.7 and Breda-SAFAT 12.7 were two Italian machine guns designed for aircraft use. Designed by Giuseppe Mascarucci, the guns were chambered to fire the standard ammunition in service with the Regia Aeronautica: 7.7 mm (0.303 in) and 12.7 mm (0.500 in) calibres, predominantly ball, tracer for the 7.7mm, including high explosive incendiary tracer (HEI-T) (filled with 0.8 grams of PETN), or armour-piercing (AP) for the 12.7mm.