XM214
| XM214 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | XM214 |
| Country of operation: | United States |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | General Electric |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 685 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 15 kg |
| Barrel length : | 455 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 5.56 × 45 mm NATO |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 500 cartridges each |
| Ammunition supply : | two ammunition boxes |
| Cadence : | 2000 to 10,000 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | only continuous fire |
| Number of trains : | 4 per run |
| Twist : | right |
| Closure : | Scene controlled |
| Charging principle: | Electric drive |
| Lists on the subject | |
The XM214 is a machine gun working on the principle of the Gatling cannon in caliber 5.56 × 45 mm NATO . The weapon is also known as a microgun , as it is the scaled-down version of the minigun (caliber 7.62 mm).
Development and construction
The XM214 was developed in the 1970s based on the M124 Minigun . In principle, it is a smaller version of the M124: instead of the heavy 7.62 × 51 mm NATO ammunition, it used the smaller NATO standard ammunition in caliber 5.56 × 45 mm .
The six barrels , each with a lock, are arranged in a circle and are set in rotation. Thus, the processes run Laden Shooting from unloading at the same time and the cadence is therefore very high. The reloading function is implemented by an external electric drive. The rate of fire is approx. 10,000 rounds / minute (6000 rounds / minute for the Minigun M134 ) the recoil force is 109 kp (approx. 1070 N ).
There have been attempts to use the XM214 as armament for the US Special Forces . General Electric offered a version of the XM214 called Six-Pak , consisting of the weapon, two ammunition cartridges of 500 rounds each and a 24-volt NiCd battery with a capacity of around 3000 rounds. The total weight of the system was 38.6 kg and could be divided into two loads. The weapon itself accounted for 12.25 kg or 10.5 kg, depending on the source.
Because of the weight, because of the battery and not least because of the high risk of ricochets due to the rate of fire and the enormous consumption of ammunition, the system proved to be unsuitable for this purpose. Since the 5.56 × 45 mm cartridge is not suitable for air defense or for combating vehicles, the XM214 was only produced in small numbers.
literature
- Chris McNab : Small Arms of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Pistols, revolvers, rifles, submachine guns, machine guns, grenade weapons. Kaiserverlag, Klagenfurt 2007, ISBN 978-3-7043-1440-6 , ( worth knowing - sport, technology ).
