General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun

Six-Barrel Gatling Gun [ 1965 ]

The GAU-17 Minigun is the USAF and USN version of the Vietnam War-era M134 Minigun product.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/21/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

The General Electric GAU-17/A "minigun" represents the USAF/USN derivative of the U.S. Army's Vietnam War-era General Electric M134 Minigun vehicler-mounted weapon system. The GAU-17 operation follows the Gatling rotary-style munitions delivery arrangement pioneered by Dr. Richard J. Gatling during the 1880's. These early forms relied on a hand-cranked mechanical action to rotate their barrels and feeding was by way of top-inserted cartridges. The concept proved sound and was revisited quite some time later when an electric motor was installed to supply power for the needed rotary action. Despite its 1960s origins, the GAU-17/A is a standardized suppression weapon still in use today (2015)) by conventional and special forces elements.

The original General Electric Gatling gun attempt was developed under the project name of "Vulcan". The program produced the M61 Gatling system, and aircraft-mounted rotary cannon firing 20mm projectiles. With the increasing use of helicopters as armed assault ships (gunships) during the Vietnam War, the M61 was reworked by General Electric to a more compact form, becoming relatively portable M134 Minigun series chambered to fire the NATO-standard 7.62x51mm rifle cartridge at an impressive 6,000 rounds-per-minute. The M134 was a prominent fixture on U.S. Army helicopters and fixed-wing gunships throughout the Vietnam War when it was found that slow, low-flying aircraft prove susceptible to ground fire originating from the cover of the jungle. A suppression weapon was needed to clear jungle and assail the enemy hiding beneath.

The GAU-17/A, although essentially similar in most respects to the U.S. Army's M134. It features a firing selector switch for "low rate" firing at 2,000 rounds-per-minute or "high rate" firing at 4,000 rounds-per-minute (the Army's originally fired at a fixed 6,000 rounds-per-minute). The GAU-17/A fires the same 7.62x51mm cartridge as the Army M134. Ammunition "cook-off" is avoided by having a deliberate delay installed in the firing action and this is activated after the trigger is released to ensure all six barrels are cleared of loaded cartridges before coming to a complete stop. Full magazines can be issued in various counts ranging from 1,500 rounds to 4,400 rounds as needed.

Broken down into its core components, the GAU-17/A system consists of the six-barrel rotary M134D gun system, the electrically-powered drive motor, a de-linking ammunition feeder, the ammunition canister, a flexible ammunition feed and the electrical gun control assembly with associated cabling for the power supply. The barrels are fitted with a flash suppressor made of titanium and the barrel unit rotates counterclockwise when viewing the weapon from behind the trigger.

GAU-17/A Miniguns are still highly-prized suppression weapons in the American military and have seen widespread acceptance in the inventories of American allies the world over. The USAF/USN services use the designations GAU-2/A and GAU-17A denoting their fixed and flexible mounts respectively. The USMC also uses the GAU-17A.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Basics [+]

Manufacturer(s)

General Electric / Lockheed Martin Armament Systems / Garwood Industries / McNally Industries / Dillon Aero / Garwood Industries - USA

Operators

Afghanistan; Australia; Austria; Brazil; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Czech Republic; Egypt; Finland; France; French Polynesia; Georgia; India; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kenya; Macedonia; Malaysia; Mexico; Morocco; Netherlands; Norway; Pakistan; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Sierra Leone; South Korea; Singapore; Spain; Thailand; Turkey; Tunisia; United States

National flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Service Year

1965

National Origin

United States

FIRE SUPPORT
Capable of suppressing enemy elements at range through direct or in-direct fire.

SPECIAL FORCES
Qualities of this weapon have shown its value to Special Forces elements requiring a versatile, reliable solution for the rigors of special assignments.

SPECIAL PURPOSE
Special purpose weapon for a specially defined battlefield role.

Overall Length

800 mm / 31.50 in

Barrel Length

558 mm / 21.97 in

Weight (Empty)

35.27 lb / 16.00 kg

Action

Electrically-Driven; Belt-Fed

Caliber(s)*

7.62x51mm NATO
*May not represent an exhuastive list; Calibers may be model-specific dependent; Always consult official manufacturer sources.

Feed

1,500 to 4,400-round linked belts

Sights

Fixed; Optional Optics

Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information.

Max.Effective Range

3,280 ft / 999.7 m | 1,093.3 yds

Rate-of-Fire

4,000 rpm

Muzzle Velocity

2,800 ft/sec / 853 m/sec

XM134 - Developmental designation; 7.62x51mm NATO chambering; GE production.

M134 - US Army designation; scaled-down version 7.62mm caliber version of the M61A1 for use in helicopter gunships; 6,000 fixed rate-of-fire.

M134D - Guns by Dillon Aero; steel housing and rotor; 62lb weight.

M134T - Reduced-weight variant by Dillon Aero; titanium housing and rotor; 41lb weight.

M134D-H - Dillon Aero version; steel housing with titanium rotor; increased lifespan per round fired.

M134G - Garwood Industries variant; upgraded GE version; 3,200rpm for increased accuracy.

XM214 - Compact version of XM134 firing 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition.

XM196 - Ejection sprocket on housing; fitted to XM53 armament subsystem of the Lockheed AH-56 "Cheyenne" attack helicopter.

GAU-2/A - USAF/USN Designation; fixed mount

GAU-2B/A - USAF/USN Designation

GAU-17/A - USN/USMC Designation; flexible mount

GAUSE-17/A - U.S. Navy Designation; shipboard equipment form.

Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon representing special forces

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Images

1 / 1

Image of the General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)