| Breda-SAFAT | |
|---|---|
 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 | Late 1930s and 1940s |
| Used by | Regia Aeronautica Royal Hungarian Air Force Syrian Army |
| Wars | Spanish Civil War World War II Six Day War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1935 |
| Manufacturer | Breda-SAFAT (Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche / Breda Meccanica Bresciana / Società Italiana Ernesto Breda - Società Anonima Fabbrica Armi Torino) |
| Variants | Breda-SAFAT 20mm cannon |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 12.5 kg (28 lb) (7.7 mm) 29 kg (64 lb) (12.7 mm)[1] |
| Length | 109 cm (43 in) (7.7 mm) 139 cm (55 in) (12.7 mm)[1] |
| Barrel length | 64 cm (25 in) (7.7 mm) 80 cm (31 in) (12.7 mm)[1] |
| Cartridge | 7.7x56mmR light, 12.7x81mmSR heavy |
| Caliber | 7.7 mm (0.303 in) 12.7 mm (0.50 in)[1] |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Short recoil[1] |
| Rate of fire | 800–900 rounds/min (7.7 mm) 700 rounds/min (575 rounds/min synchronized) (12.7 mm)[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 730 metres per second (2,400 ft/s) (7.7 mm) 765 metres per second (2,510 ft/s) (12.7 mm)[1] |
| Feed system | Belt-fed[1] |
Breda-SAFAT (Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche / Breda Meccanica Bresciana - Società Anonima Fabbrica Armi Torino) was an Italian weapons manufacturer of the 1930s and 1940s that designed and produced a range of machine-guns and cannon primarily for use in aircraft. Based on the M1919 Browning machine gun, the Italian guns were chambered to fire indigenous ammunition with 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.