AAI Inline Machine Gun (IMG)

Experimental Multi-Shot Weapon System

United States | 1970

"The AAI Inline Machine Gun was an experimental USAF weapon of the early-1970s that was proven sound - but not adopted into service."

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Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/09/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Inline Machine Gun (IMG) was an experimental product undertaken by AAI Corporation from 1969 until 1970. It was a new concept for a multi-shot weapon, chambered in 7.62x51mm, and intended to serve as an alternative to Gatling-style "minigun" designs of the time - providing an inherent high rate-of-fire with the accuracy of a single-barreled rifle. While this concept was proven sound during its testing phase, the project was not furthered and no finalized form ever materialized beyond some experimental models of which three were completed - yet only one of these featured six total barrels in its arrangement like the minigun.

In the IMG approach, the weapon relied on a crankshaft-driven system in which a shared ammunition belt was fed across multiple barrels with every sixth cartridge of the line being cycled (pulled and chambered). The weapon sat all six barrels in a side-by-side arrangement along a shared square-shaped housing containing the needed internals resulting in a most unique-looking weapon system. The chambering was the ubiquitous 7.62mm full-powered rifle cartridge common to Western military players like the United States.

As tested, the gun delivered up to 6,000 rounds-per-minute.

Such a weapon would have been featured on aircraft types like helicopters, particularly as the Bell UH-1 "Huey" medium-lift design was in heavy use over the skies of Vietnam in gunship forms at the time.

The complete, six-barreled model is currently (2022) on display at the United States Air Force Armament Museum in Florida.

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Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the AAI Inline Machine Gun (IMG). Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

6,000
Rounds-Per-Minute
Rate-of-Fire

Physical
The physical qualities of the AAI Inline Machine Gun (IMG). Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

Full-Automatic Fire.
Action

7.62x51mm NATO
Caliber(s)

100-round disintegrating link-belts.
Feed

Iron
Sights

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the AAI Inline Machine Gun (IMG) Experimental Multi-Shot Weapon System family line.

Inline Machine Gun - Base Design Name; three experimental forms constructed with only one of six-barreled form.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the AAI Inline Machine Gun (IMG). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): AAI Corporation - USA

[ United States (tested) ]

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Image of the AAI Inline Machine Gun (IMG)

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Going Further...
The AAI Inline Machine Gun (IMG) Experimental Multi-Shot Weapon System appears in the following collections:

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