Gun Vault

GAU-8 30mm Gatling Gun

GAU-8 Gatlin Gun
The GAU-8(right) is the primary weapon used in the A-10. It can fire up to 4200 rounds per minute. The GAU-8 is capable of firing a family of 30mm ammunition type, including High Explosive Incendiary and Armor Piercing Incendiary rounds.

The gun, which was to become the M-61(below), trailed the development of the M-39, but was ready for operation by 1956. The M-39 represented a substantial improvement over the .50-caliber. The M-39 delivers fifty percent more rate of fire than the .50-caliber, but the M-61 delivers four times the number of rounds in the same amount of time. Equally important, the old machine guns and the M-39 use a reciprocating motion whereas, the M-61 gained reliability in air-to-air operation by employing a rotary motion.

M-39
The only aircraft to come close for the air superiority role in conventional warfare was the F-100, which came along too soon for the M-61, therefore was equipped with four M-39s. The F-104 and F-105 were the first two planes equipped with the M-61 Gatling gun. The F-4 was brought into the Air Force inventory for the air superiority role without a gun, but by the onset of the Vietnam War the fighter employed the M-61 Gatling gun carried externally in the SUU-16 pod.

40mm Bofors Light Anti-Aircraft Gun
The 40mm Bofors Light Anti-Aircraft Gun(right), based on a Swedish design and built in Canada, served in a number of different theatres during the Second World War. A derivative design is mounted on the AC-130 gunship, with a shortened barrel and a bell-shaped blast deflector. A flexible hood closes the gun mechanism from the outside and allows for cabin pressurization. Starting in November 1969 gunships deployed in Vietnam had two 40mm guns in place of the two aft 20mm Vulcans which originally equiped these aircraft. By 1972 the aft 40mm was replaced by a fixed-mounted 105mm Howitzer on many aircraft.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 57 ft. 6 in. Length: 53 ft. 4 in. Height: 14 ft. 8 in. Weight: 47,000 lbs. Armament: One GAU-8/A 30mm Gatling gun and 16,000 lbs. of mixed ordnance Engines: Two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofans of 9,000 lbs. thrust each Crew: One Cost: $2,400,000 PERFORMANCE:
Maximum speed: 450 mph Cruising speed: 335 mph Range: 800 miles Service ceiling: 44,200 ft.

A-10 THUNDERBOLT II
SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 38 ft. 10 in. Length: 53 ft. 11 in. (with pitot boom extended); 47 ft. (with boom folded) Height: 15 ft. 6 in. Weight: 36,549 lbs. maximum Armament: Four M39 20mm cannons and 42 2.75-inch rockets or 5,000 lbs. of bombs Engine: One Pratt & Whitney J57-P-21 of 16,000 lbs. thrust with afterburner Cost: $664,000 PERFORMANCE:
Maximum speed: 900 mph Cruising speed: 600 mph Range: 1,350 miles Service ceiling: 51,000 ft.

F-100 SUPER SABRE
SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 21 ft. 11 in. Length: 54 ft. 10 in. Height: 13 ft. 6 in. Weight: 27,853 lbs. maximum Armament: One M-61 20mm cannon, two air-to-air missiles, nuclear or conventional bombs Engine: One General Electric J-79 of 15,800 lbs. thrust (with afterburner) Crew: One Cost: $1,471,000 Serial number: 56-914 C/N: 383-1202 PERFORMANCE:
Maximum speed: 1,320 mph cruising Speed: 575 mph Range: 1,250 miles Service ceiling: 58,000 ft.

F-104 STARFIGHTER
SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 34 ft. 11 in. Length: 64 ft. 5 in. Height: 19 ft. 8 in. Weight: 52,838 lbs. maximum Armament: One M61A1 Vulcan 20mm cannon and more than 12,000 lbs. of ordnance Engine: One Pratt & Whitney J75-P-19W of 24,500 lbs thrust (with afterburner) Cost: $2,136,668 PERFORMANCE:
Maximum speed: 1,390 mph Cruising speed: 778 mph Range: 2206 miles Service ceiling: 51,000 ft.

F-105 THUNDERCHIEF
SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 38 ft. 5 in. (27 ft. 6 in. folded) Length: 58 ft. 2 in. Height: 16 ft. 6 in. Weight: 58,000 lbs. loaded Armament: Up to 16,000 lbs. of externally carried nuclear or conventional bombs, rockets, missiles or 20mm cannon pods in various combinations Engines: Two General Electric J-79-GE-15s of 17,000 lbs thrust each (with afterburner) Crew: Two PERFORMANCE:
Maximum speed: 1,400 mph Cruising speed: 590 mph Range: 1,750 miles without aerial refueling Service ceiling: 59,600 ft.

F-4 PHANTOM II
SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 132 ft. 7 in. Length: 96 ft. 10 in. Weight: 124,200 lbs. maximum Armament: Two 7.62 miniguns plus two 20mm and two 40mm cannon Engines: Four Allison T-56-A-9D turboprops of 3,750 equivalent shaft hp each Serial number: 54-1630 PERFORMANCE:
Maximum speed: 380 mph/330 knots Cruising speed: 335 mph/291 knots Range: 2,500 statute miles/2,172 nautical miles Service ceiling: 33,000 ft.

AC-130 Spectre



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