Friday, November 21, 2008

GAU-12/U

Also Known As
GAU-22/A (variant provided to the F-35)

Origin
United States of America

Contractor/s
General Dynamics

Applications
F-35A Lightning II
F-35B Lightning II
F-35C Lightning II

Description: The GAU-12/U is a five-barrel 25mm gun selected for the F-35 (formerly Joint Strike Fighter or JSF) multi-service, multirole aircraft. With a muzzle velocity in excess of 1,000 meters per second and a rate of fire of 4,200 rounds per minute this gun provides an effective low cost weapon for a wide range of mission profiles from air-to-surface to air-to-air engagements.

General Dynamics expects to integrate an internally mounted GAU-12/U variant on the US Air Force F-35A, and the externally carried variant on the US Navy F-35B (carrier-based) and the US Marine Corps F-35C (STOVL).

In addition to the F-35 aircraft, the GAU-12/U gun has already been integrated on land (LAV-AD), sea and air (AV-8B and AC-130U) platforms.

Specifications
Dimensions: Diameter 25 mm, Length 2.1 m, Width 256 mm

Weights: Max Weight 123 kg (271 lb)

Other: Max Rate of Fire 4,200 rounds per minute

News
General Dynamics Awarded F-35 GAU-22/A Gun System Production Contracts

Operators

United States of America

Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 18, 2008

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