M197 Gatling gun
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The M197 electric cannon is a three-barreled electric Gatling gun developed primarily for use by US Army helicopter gunships.
Development
M197-uh1d20mm.jpg
M197 Gatling Gun
The M197 went into service on later marks of the AH-1 Cobra, and was also fitted in a ventral turret on the USMC OV-10D Bronco. It is also the basis of the GPU-2 gun pod, which incorporates the cannon, a battery and electric drive motor, and 300 rounds of linkless ammunition.
In the Cobra, the weapon is supplied with a magazine of 700 linked rounds. It has a cyclic rate of fire of 730 rounds per minute (± 50 rounds). Standard practice is to fire the cannon in 100-round bursts, allowing several minutes of cooling time between bursts.
The M197 remains in use in the latest AH-1W and AH-1Z Cobra gunships. Although the weapon's rotary drive is theoretically quite reliable, its ammunition feed has been anything but: Marine pilots report an alarmingly high jam rate (sometimes greater than 30%). The USMC and the manufacturer are aware of the problem, but no specific fix has been incorporated on the AH-1Z. In the meantime, crews have been trained in techniques intended to minimize the risk of jamming.
The weapon's current contractor is General Dynamics Armament Systems.
Specifications
- Type: three-barrel rotary cannon
- Caliber: 20 mm (0.79 in)
- Operation: hydraulically operated, electrically fired
- Length: 83.2 in (2.11 m)
- Weight (complete): 132 lb (60 kg)
- Rate of fire: 300 - 1500 rounds per minute
- Muzzle velocity: 3,400 ft/s (1,036 m/s)
- Projectile weight: 3.5 oz (100 g)
External Links
GlobalSecurity.org M197 (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/systems/m197.htm)
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