Description
Swiss 20mm Oerlikon 50-Round Drum Magazine for Flab Kan 54
Item Overview
This Swiss 50-round drum magazine was manufactured for the Oerlikon 20 mm Fliegerabwehrkanone Modell 1954, commonly called the 20 mm Flab Kan 54. Its large cylindrical body mounted above the cannon and supplied ammunition to the weapon’s feed system. The drum is in excellent / New-Old Stock condition and is in working mechanical condition. It is sold empty as an military-surplus component, with no ammunition included.
Identification and Features
This is a dedicated ammunition drum for one of Switzerland’s primary Cold War light anti-aircraft cannons. Its size, mounting arrangement, and 50-round capacity match the documented magazine used with the Flab Kan 54.
- Country of origin: Switzerland
- Weapon manufacturer: Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon, later Oerlikon-Bührle
- Documented application: 20 mm Fliegerabwehrkanone Modell 1954
- Swiss designation: 20 mm Flab Kan 54
- Caliber: 20mm
- Capacity: 50 rounds
- Feed position: Top-mounted drum magazine
- Condition: Excellent/NOS, mechanically working
- Status: Empty and inert
Function
The drum carried 50 cartridges and presented them to the cannon through its top-mounted feed system. Its enclosed circular housing kept the ammunition and feed mechanism together as one removable assembly. This gave the gun crew a compact supply of ready ammunition while protecting the cartridges from dirt, weather, and rough field handling. The drum was a key part of the Flab Kan 54’s high-rate ammunition system.
Documented End-Item Application
Swiss military museum records identify the Flab Kan 54 as using a 50-round drum mounted above the cannon’s receiver. Period Swiss Army photographs show the same cylindrical drum installed during field exercises and mountain training. The drum’s documented end-item application is the single-barrel 20 mm Flab Kan 54, with the same gun type later used in fixed twin installations.
Drum Magazine History
Swiss 20mm anti-aircraft guns used several ammunition-feed designs before the Flab Kan 54 entered service. Earlier systems used straight magazines, ammunition boxes, or larger drums. Oerlikon selected a 50-round top-mounted drum for its new postwar cannon. The drum became one of the Flab Kan 54’s most recognizable features and remained part of the system throughout its long Swiss service life.
Flab Kan 54 Equipment History
Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon developed the Flab Kan 54 during the early 1950s, and the Swiss Army introduced it in 1954. The new cannon replaced older light anti-aircraft weapons that could no longer keep pace with faster postwar aircraft. Military references list a cyclic rate of approximately 1,000 rounds per minute and a muzzle velocity of about 1,100 meters per second. These figures made the gun a major improvement over the earlier Flab Kan 37.
Swiss Air-Defense System Background
The Flab Kan 54 served within Switzerland’s layered Cold War air-defense network. Its main role was defense against low-flying aircraft, with lightly armored ground targets listed as a secondary use. Mobile guns protected troops and important facilities, while a twin pedestal-mounted version introduced in 1966 guarded selected high-altitude radar sites connected to the FLORIDA air-surveillance system. Later improvements included updated sights and service modifications that extended the system’s useful life.
History of Use
Swiss light anti-aircraft units used the Flab Kan 54 for readiness training, field exercises, mountain maneuvers, airfield protection, and fixed-site defense. Period photographs show crews placing the guns in prepared positions and concealing them with camouflage netting or natural foliage. The weapon remained in Swiss service through the Cold War and was retired during the late 1990s as longer-range aircraft weapons reduced the value of short-range gun defenses.
Shipping and Legal Restrictions
Shipping is available only to addresses located within U.S. states. This 50-round drum magazine will be shipped only to states and local jurisdictions where a magazine of this capacity may be legally purchased, received, possessed, and owned. All applicable federal, state, county, municipal, and other local laws apply. The buyer is responsible for confirming legality before ordering, and orders to prohibited destinations will not be fulfilled.
Condition
This Swiss Oerlikon drum magazine has been restored and is in working mechanical condition. Its body, operating mechanism, and mounting features have been returned to a functional and display-ready state while retaining the correct military configuration. This is an empty, inert magazine component intended for lawful collecting, restoration, museum, and display purposes.
Ideal For
This uncommon and very large/impressive 20mm drum is especially suitable for advanced military collections and displays centered on Swiss, Oerlikon, anti-aircraft, or Cold War equipment.
- Swiss militaria collections
- Oerlikon cannon displays
- Flab Kan 54 restoration projects
- Military museums and educational exhibits
- Cold War air-defense collections
- Film, television, and historical displays
- Automatic-cannon accessory collections
Approx length 19", Approx width 14", Approx height 18", Approx weight 53lbs.
Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item’s general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.
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