GAU-19

GAU-19/B
Type	Rotary heavy machine gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	See History
Production history
Designer	General Electric
Manufacturer	General Dynamics
Produced	GAU-19/A: 1983–present GAU-19/B: 2012–present
Variants	3-barrel or 6-barrel
Specifications
Mass	GAU-19/A:138 lbs. (63kg) GAU-19/B:106 lbs. (48kg)
Length	53.9 in. (1,369 mm)
Barrel length	36 in. (914 mm)
Width	13.5 in. (343 mm)
Height	15 in. (381 mm)
Cartridge	.50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO)
Barrels	3 or 6
Action	Electric
Rate of fire	1,000, 1,300 or 2,000 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	2,910 fps (887 m/s)
Effective firing range	1,800 m
Maximum firing range	6,000 m
Feed system	linkless or M9 linked belt

The GAU-19/A (GECAL 50) is an electrically driven, three-barrel rotary heavy machine gun that fires the .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) cartridge.

Technical specifications

The GAU-19/A is designed to accept standard NATO .50 caliber M9-linked ammunition. The rate of fire is selectable to be either 1,000 or 2,000 rounds per minute. The Humvee armament kit version fires at 1,300 rounds per minute. The average recoil force when firing is 382 lb/ft, 495 lb/ft or 629 lb/ft depending on firing rate. In January 2012, General Dynamics announced they would be delivering a new version designated GAU-19/B. It provides the same firepower in a lighter platform, weighing 48 kilograms (106 lb) and optimized for a firing rate of 1,300 rounds per minute and an average recoil force of 562 lb/ft.^[1] Both variants can be configured for an ammunition capacity of 500–1,200 rounds. Both variants are reliable to 40,000 mean rounds between failure.

History

GAU-19/B mounted. Eurosatory Paris, 2016.

The GECAL 50 was first manufactured by General Electric, then by Lockheed Martin, and now by General Dynamics. Design work began in 1982. Early prototypes had six barrels, but a three-barreled configuration is now standard. The GAU-19/A was originally designed as a larger, more potent version of the M134 Minigun. Due to the loss of nine helicopters in Grenada, GE started building prototypes of the weapon in both a three-barreled and a six-barreled configuration. The six-barreled version was designed to fire 4,000 rounds per minute, and could be adapted to fire up to 8,000 rounds per minute. The GAU-19 takes 0.4 seconds to reach maximum firing rate.^[2] Soon it was recommended as a potential armament for the V-22 Osprey.^[3] The magazine would be located underneath the cabin floor and could be reloaded in-flight. However, plans to mount the gun were later dropped.^[4] In December 1992 the US Navy issued a letter of qualification for GAU-19/A integration and use on naval aircraft. In 2005, the GAU-19/A was approved to be mounted on the OH-58D Kiowa helicopter. It also could have been used on the Army's now cancelled ARH-70.^[5]

In 1999, the United States sent 28 GAU-19s to Colombia.^[6] Oman is known to use the GAU-19/A mounted on their HMMWVs. The Mexican Navy uses MDH MD-902 series helicopters with the GAU-19/A system mounted for anti-narcotics operations.^[7]

In October 2010 General Dynamics began developing the lighter weight GAU-19/B in response to an urgent needs statement issued by the Armed Scout Helicopter Program Office. By April 2011 flight testing had begun and by January 2012, the U.S. Army ordered 30 GAU-19/B versions for use on helicopters. All were delivered by the next month.^[1] In August 2012 the GAU-19/B received a safety confirmation from the US Army Evaluation Center for use on the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.

Both GAU-19 variants have been integrated on naval vessels (tripod and remote weapons station), vehicles (turret and remotely operated), and on both rotary and fixed wing aircraft (externally mounted under wing fixed forward and man fired from the aircraft door or cargo ramp). Most recently a self-contained gun pod was developed by Fulcrum Concepts LLC ^[8]

Users

Map with GAU-19 users in blue

•  Colombia: Used by Drug Enforcement troops, and the Colombian National Police, AH-60L ARPIA III/IV COIN attack helicopter, AC-47T CAS gunship
•  Czechia: 12 GAU-19B ^[9]
•  Egypt
•  Iraq^[10]
•  Japan: Used by Japan Coast Guard, on PC Kagayuki class
•  Mexico: Used by the Mexican Air Force and the Mexican Navy on Humvees, UH-60 Black Hawks, and the MD Explorer
•  Oman: Used on Army HMMWV.
•  Saudi Arabia: Used on AH6i
•  Thailand: 4 GAU-19/B for use on AH6i ^[11]
•  Turkey
•  UAE: Used on S70M Blackhawks, Bell 407 and naval vessels and HMMWVs.
•  United States

See also

• M61 Vulcan – 20 mm Gatling-type rotary cannon
• M134 Minigun – American rotary machine gun
• XM214 Microgun – American prototype 5.56 mm rotary-barreled machine gun
• M197 electric cannon – 20 mm Gatling-type rotary cannon
• GAU-12 Equalizer – 25 mm rotary aircraft autocannon
• GAU-8 Avenger – American 30mm autocannon (since 1977)
• Yakushev-Borzov YakB-12.7mm machine gun – 12.7 mm machine gun aircraft armamentPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
• List of multiple-barrel firearms – List of weapons with multiple barrels

Notes

1. GD delivers GAU-19/B^[usurped] - General Dynamics
2. "GAU-19/A (GECAL 50) 12.7 mm Gun (United States), Guns - Integral and mounted". Jane's Air-Launched Weapons. Jane's Information Group. 21 January 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
3. "General Dynamics Selected to Develop Turreted Gun System for V-22 Aircraft" (Press release). General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products. 7 September 2000. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
4. Thompson, Mark (26 September 2007). "V-22 Osprey: A Flying Shame". Time. Archived from the original on 26 December 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
5. "ARMY AIRCRAFT". Committee Reports - 108th Congress (2003–2004) - Senate Report 108-260. Library of Congress. 11 May 2004. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
6. "Memorandum for Correspondents No. 176-M" (Press release). United States Department of Defense. 10 November 1999. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
7. Fricker, John (2002). "Region's Military Seeks to Modernize . . . But Tight Funding Forces Ingenuity". Aviation Week & Space Technology. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
8. "GP-19" (PDF). Mattaponi, VA: Fulcrum Concepts LLC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
9. "Federal Register :: Request Access". 13 June 2019.
10. "Federal Register :: Request Access". 8 November 2018.
11. "Thailand – AH-6i Helicopters | Defense Security Cooperation Agency". www.dsca.mil.

References

• Gander, Terry J., ed. (1997). Jane's Infantry Weapons 1997–98 (23rd ed.). Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group. p. 298. ISBN 0-7106-1548-5.
• "General Dynamics Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original on 14 March 2006. (401 KB)

External links

• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems GAU-19/A page
• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems GAU-19/B page
• GAU-19 Gatling Gun Video
• List of Military Gatling & Revolver cannons
• Information at Navy weapons