M61 Vulcan

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M61 Vulcan


M61A1

General Information
Military designation: M61
Manufacturer country: United States
Developer / Manufacturer: General Electric
Development year: 1946
Start of production: 1959
Model variants: M61, M61A1, M61A2
Weapon Category: Gatling cannon
Technical specifications
Caliber :

20 × 102 mm

Number of trains : 9
Twist : right progressive
Cadence : 4000 or 6000 (-6600) rounds / min
Furnishing
Ammunition supply: strapless or belted
Drive: hydraulic
Muzzle velocity: 1030-1050 m / s

The M61 GAU-4 20 mm Vulcan is a hydraulically driven sechsläufige Gatling - machine gun with electric firing from American production.

history

M61A1, side view

Since after the Second World War, with the introduction of jet engines, the aircraft and thus the air combat became faster and faster, the pilots had even less time than before to shoot before the target possibly moved out of the range of the on-board cannons. Single-barrel guns were largely exhausted in terms of rate of fire and durability. The Gatling system in Anno 1861, which was regarded as antiquated at the time, made it possible, however, to fire a large number of projectiles at the target in a short time thanks to its multi-barrel rotating construction.

The US Army therefore experimented from 1946 as part of the Vulcan project with Gatling guns of various calibers . The most promising of these was the 20mm model, for which General Electric received its first large-scale order in 1956. The new aircraft gun was standardized as the M61 Vulcan. The disadvantages of the Gatling concept - heavy construction and high propulsion power of the weapon - did not pose a problem, as modern combat aircraft had the appropriate load capacity and the necessary powerful on-board systems.

use

Opened weapon bay on an F-104 Starfighter with an M 61 A-1

The automatic cannon is used as an on-board weapon in most American combat aircraft , especially at short distances, where heat-controlled air-to-air missiles can no longer be used. Although it is primarily an air-to-air gun, it can also be used against ground targets or as an anti-aircraft gun (FlaK).

The cadence can be set to 4000 or 6000 rounds per minute. At the full rate of fire of 6000 rounds per minute, around 25 kW are required to propel the cannon.

Working principle

The six barrels of the M61 are arranged around a rotating shaft. Each pipe is loaded and fires when it reaches the top position. In addition to the high rate of fire (cadence) of around 100 rounds per second, there is less wear and tear and less heating of the barrels. The weapon has an enormous shot density , but it is only reached with a delay of 0.3 seconds. Depending on the model, the Vulcan cannons can be loaded with 940 (AD model) or 500 cartridges (E model) of various types of ammunition, for example target practice, armor-piercing or high-explosive ammunition.

Platforms

Vulcan cannons on Specter gunship.jpg
Two Vulcans on a Lockheed AC-130 Specter
AC-130A 20MM Vulcan Cannon Ammo belt.jpg
Vulcan ammunition belt from an AC-130 Specter Gunship

variants

  • M61 : basic version with cartridge belt (no longer in production)
  • M61A1 : Improved strapless version (weight 112.5 kg)
  • M61A2 : Light version (91.6 kg) with thinner runs that in the 1990s for the 18 A-Hornet F / developed
  • M35 : Three-barrel variant with shorter barrels and reduced cadence

A derived development are the minigun machine guns, which, with their smaller rifle caliber, are used to combat unarmored ground targets, especially in the context of gunship operations. A further development as GAU-7 failed in 1974.

Web links

Commons : M61 Vulcan  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files