Purchase Information

Use this form to request purchase information on online subscriptions




GAU-19/A (GECAL 50) 12.7 mm Gun (United States), Guns - Integral and mounted

The full document for GAU-19/A (GECAL 50) 12.7 mm Gun (United States) is offered by Jane’s Information Group as part of its Jane's Air-Launched Weapons subscription service, available in both hardcopy and electronic formats.

You may purchase a full subscription to this service through the Jane’s Online Catalogue.

Title
GAU-19/A (GECAL 50) 12.7 mm Gun (United States)

Section
Guns - Integral and mounted

Appearing in
Jane's Air-Launched Weapons

Publication date
Jan 21, 2008

Development
While it is widely believed that the GECAL 50 (now GAU-19/A) was developed by General Electric (now General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products) for the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, the company is reported to have said that it had been considering 'for some time' making a 0.50 calibre (12.7 mm) Gatling gun, as a follow-on to its successful 7.62 mm M134 Mini-gun. Design work on the GECAL 50 programme began in 1982, and the project was given significance in 1983 when the US lost nine helicopters during the invasion of Grenada. The baseline model was originally designed as an externally mounted, electrically powered, lightweight 12.7 mm three-barrelled gun capable of 4,000 rds/min, which could readily be adapted into a six-barrelled variant capable of up to 8,000 rds/min. Hydraulic or pneumatic operation were also to be possible. The weapon was designed to have an add-on capability of a self-starting gas drive, for applications where external power was not available. Both versions of the gun were extensively tested both in the air and on the ground, using a simple DC motor mounted on the rotor housing. The three-barrelled version used a 4 hp AC/DC motor, which provided 1,000 to 2,000 rds/min, and the six-barrelled version used a 6 hp motor which provided higher rates up to 4,000 rds/min.In parallel with the gun programme, a pintle mounting for the US Army's utility helicopter, the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk was also developed; that could take either the M134 Mini-gun or the three-barrelled version

Description
The GAU-19/A is a 12.7 mm Gatling type machine gun that can be fitted with three or six barrels. The gun can also have two different barrel lengths to allow ballistic performance to be optimised for a particular mission. The standard 0.91 m barrels are chrome lined, and weigh only 3.64 kg each. The alternative barrels are 1.29 m long and weigh 4.7 kg each. A ready to fire standard three-barrelled weapon, as used on a helicopter/vehicle pintle, comprises eight major components: the gun itself with standard barrels, which is 1.18 m long and weighs 34 kg; the electric motor, booster assembly, ammunition de-linker, 750-round ammunition box, flexible metal ammunition chute and combined handgrips and gun cradle. A single three-barrel GAU-19/A system ready to fire on a Black Hawk pintle mounting weighs 144 kg empty and 250 kg with 750 rounds.On the three-barrelled version a 4 hp AC/DC electric motor is mounted on the lower starboard front of the rotor housing. This provides a firing rate up to 2,000 rds/min. For higher rates of fire, up to 4,000 rds/min, six barrels are fitted and a 6 hp motor is used. In both versions the time to reach maximum firing rate is 0.4 seconds. A 'controlled burst' firing rate control allows the firing of a salvo of approximately 10 rounds at the maximum rate of fire. The average muzzle velocity using standard ammunition is 844 m/s. Average recoil force for the three-barrel gun is 3.51 kN at 2,000 rds/min, whereas

Air-Launched Weapons

The only accessible and constantly updated guide to the world's inventories of airborne weapons. Covering well over 600 systems, in service or in development, it provides a detailed and comprehensive reference to: capabilities/technology; functionality/effectiveness; user base; combat record; upgrades, variants and future enhancements. The guide includes extensive analysis tables covering all weapon types, national inventories and aircraft weapon loads and documents the world's air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, bombs, rockets, guns and underwater weapons, including new and emerging weapons.

Key contents include:

Different sections provide in depth detail covering:

About Jane’s
With more than 100 years of experience, Jane’s, an IHS company, holds an unrivalled reputation for the reliability,
accuracy and impartiality of our information and advice, trusted and relied upon by business, government and military
decision-makers worldwide.

In the specialist fields of defence, security, public safety, transport and law enforcement, Jane’s intelligence is a ‘must
have’ resource for our clients, who can trust our intelligence over that from any other open source.