Rheinmetall, 7.92mm, MG17

The Maschinengewehr 17 or MG 17 was the standard, fixed 7.92mm rifle calibre machine gun in service with the Luftwaffe form 1934 until 1945.

Derived from the MG 15, the MG 17 dispensed with the 75 round magazine of the earlier gun and replaced it with a belt feed system. The weapon was usually fitted to in an aircraft's wing, nose or was synchronised to fire through the arch of a propeller. While it saw widespread use during the first half of the Second World War, it was largely replaced by heavier calibre guns as the conflict progressed.