The Parabellum LMG 14/17 was the refined 1917 variant of Germany’s aircraft‑adapted Maxim machine gun family (commonly referred to as MG 14 or LMG 14). The 14/17 introduced several practical improvements over the original LMG 14: a slimmer, lighter jacket/profile, small sighting and mounting refinements, and updated feed/charging features — all intended to improve handling in flexible mounts and to simplify production and maintenance. Like its predecessor, the LMG 14/17 was principally a flexible defensive gun for two‑seat reconnaissance machines, bombers and airships; its use as a fixed, synchronized fighter gun was rare and generally limited to experimental fits.

Typical installations & variants

• LMG 14 (MG 14) — aircraft version introduced c.1914, optimised for flexible mounts and airship use (light weight, high rate of fire).
• LMG 14/17 — later refinement with slimmer jacket and sights; common in surviving examples and late-war mounts.

The weapon normally fed from a closed drum or short cloth belt spool and was mounted on observer ring mounts or flexible pintles; it was favoured where a high rate of fire and reduced weight were required.

Aircraft equipped with the Parabellum LMG 14

• Halberstadt CL.II – observer’s flexible defensive gun.
• Gotha G.IV – bomber defensive mounts.
• Rumpler C.IV – observer’s defensive gun on two-seat reconnaissance aircraft.
• LVG C.V – two-seat reconnaissance planes with flexible mounts.
• Gotha G.I – early bomber defensive armament.

Historical significance

The Parabellum LMG 14 was a crucial development in German aviation armament. It allowed observers and airship crews to carry a reliable, high-rate-of-fire machine gun without the weight penalties of standard MG 08s. It also contributed to the early experiments with synchronized guns, paving the way for fixed forward-firing armament on fighter aircraft.

The set includes one turned brass barrels with drilled cooling jacket. It is very simple to use in your model, and makes it extremely realistic. Simply cut off the original plastic barrel and drill a hole in the remaining plastic parts and insert the metal barrel using Cyanoacrylate adhesives. We advise soldering to join metal parts together.{{freeshipping_code_1}}{{payment}}