12.7mm Breda-SAFAT Machine Gun

The 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun is an Italian machine gun found on almost every Italian aircraft in game, most notably the FIAT and Macchi series of fighters up to the C.205N2 Veltro.

Ammunition Available

 * T - Tracer bullet
 * Ball - Omni-purpose bullet
 * I - Incendiary Bullet
 * AP - Armor-piercing bullet
 * AP-I - Armor-piercing incendiary bullet
 * IAI - Immediate-action incendiary bullet
 * API-T - Armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet

Found on

 * Fiat CR.32
 * Fiat CR.42 Falco
 * Macchi MC.200 Saetta
 * Reggiane Re.2000
 * Fiat G.50 Freccia
 * Macchi MC.202 Folgore
 * Breda 88 (P.XI)
 * Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero
 * CANT Z.1007
 * Macchi MC.205 Veltro
 * Fiat G.55 Centauro
 * Piaggio P.108
 * Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario

Operational History
The Breda-SAFAT machine gun was designed in the 1930s to be equal to or superior to weapons of a similar type. It was praised for its reliability and sometimes paired with the smaller-caliber 7.7mm machine gun of the same type. But its chief design flaw was the use of low-propellant cartridges for the bullets, which resulted in the weapon being inferior in muzzle velocity to weapons of similar caliber: the American AN/M2 Browning, Russian Berezin UB, Japanese Ho-103, and the German 13mm MG-131.

Later in World War II, it was often paired up with the German-designed Mauser MG-151 20mm cannon on the Macchi MC.205 Veltro, FIAT G.55 Centauro, and Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario, with as many as three cannons on the fighters. Postwar, many Breda-SAFAT's were used in the anti-aircraft role into the 1970's.