Oerlikon Historical collection
Oerlikon was founded in Switserland as a heavy tooling/ machinery manufacturer. After a troublesome start Oerlikon merged with a German holding and was in German hands. It bought patents from a Swiss firm which produced anti-aircraft weapons and armored vehicles. Under the
direction of Emil Georg Bührle the famous 20mm Oerlikon canon was invented, a canon which would be used in large quantities worldwide.
At the start of World War 2 Oerlikon started supplying Germany and its allies with weaponry. This made Oerlikon banned by the USA and UK for trading – they also paid no royalties for the large number of Oerlikon canons which they produced under license.
After World War 2 Oerlikon started supplying weapons and ammo to the USA during the Korean War. Trading bans were lifted and Oerlikon supplied weapons all over the world to countries on each continent. In 2004 Oerlikon was bought by Rheinmetall. During the past decades many known canons, munition and rockets were invented and produced by Oerlikon. An entire floor in the Full-Reuenthal Swiss Military museum is dedicated to the Oerlikon weapon systems, a Swiss heritage!
