Development focus was to reduce production cost and time and to optimize the machine gun for use in aircraft.

A special twin-mount MG 81Z (the Z suffix stands for Zwilling, meaning "twin") was introduced in 1942.

It paired up two of the weapons on one mount to provide even more firepower with a maximum cyclic rate of fire of 3,200 rounds per minute without requiring much more space than a standard machine gun.

Towards the end of the war many specimens were delivered to the army and equipped for use in ground battles with shoulder rest and bipod.

The MG 81 was also marketed for infantry use with bipod, wood buttstock, and reduced fire rate of 1,200 rounds per minute.