| 8.8 cm Flak 16 | |
| Origin: | German Empire |
| Type: | Anti-aircraft gun |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Is Artillery: | yes |
| Service: | 1917–1918 |
| Used By: | German Empire |
| Wars: | World War I |
| Designer: | Krupp |
| Design Date: | 1916 |
| Manufacturer: | Krupp |
| Number: | 169 |
| Variants: | Flak 17, 18 |
| Weight: | Transport: 7300kg (16,100lb) Combat: 3100kg (6,800lb) |
| Part Length: | 3.9m (12.8feet) L/45[1] |
| Cartridge Weight: | 9.4kg (20.7lb) |
| Caliber: | 88 mm (3.46 in) |
| Rate: | 10 rpm |
| Velocity: | 785 m/s (2,575 ft/s) |
| Max Range: | Horizontal: 10.8km (06.7miles) Vertical: 6850m (22,470feet) |
| Breech: | Horizontal sliding-block |
| Recoil: | Hydro-pneumatic |
| Carriage: | Four-wheeled cruciform outriggers |
| Elevation: | -4° to +70° |
| Traverse: | 360° |
The 8.8 cm Flak 16 was a German 8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun from World War I, forerunner of the 8,8 cm FlaK/PaK Flak 18/36/37 of World War II. Its contemporary name was the 8,8 cm K.Zugflak L/45.
Designs for dedicated anti-aircraft guns existed before World War I, but few were in service by the outbreak of war. Early anti-aircraft artillery guns used in World War I were primarily adaptations of existing medium-caliber weapons, mounted to enable fire at higher angles. By 1915, the German military command realized that these were useless for anything beyond deterrence, even against vulnerable balloons and slow-moving aircraft.[2] With the increase of aircraft performance, many armies developed dedicated AA guns with a high muzzle velocity – allowing the projectiles to reach greater altitudes. The first such German gun, the Flak 16, was introduced in 1917, using the 88 mm caliber, common in the Kaiserliche Marine.[2]
The barrel for the 8.8 cm K.Zugflak L/45 was built from steel and was 45 calibers in length. The gun had a semi-automatic Krupp horizontal sliding-wedge breech to boost its rate of fire. There was a hydro-pneumatic recoil system located above and below the barrel, along with an equilibriator to balance the gun. The gun was capable of 360° of traverse and -4° to +70° of elevation.