13mm, MG131

The Maschinengewehr 131 or MG131 was a heavy machinegun in service with the Luftwaffe form 1940 until 1945. Small and lightweight, it was less than 60% of the weight of the comparable US 0.5in Browning Machinegun.

Used in flexible, fixed and turret mounts the belt fed MG131 had a cyclic rate of 700 rounds per minute and had an effective range of 1,800 metres. It could fire armour-piercing, incendiary, high-explosive, and tracer ammunition. The MG131s fitted to the cowlings of the Bf 109 and FW 190 were synchronised to fire through the arc of the propeller.