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Topic: New Machine Gun Fires 50 Rounds Per Second!
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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster
Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 02-03-2006 08:29 AM
California nuclear lab brings out the big guns
Defense system now includes 6-barrel Gatling machine guns
Thursday, February 2, 2006; Posted: 10:11 p.m. EST (03:11 GMT)
LIVERMORE, California (AP) -- Officials at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have added a new weapon to their armory: a high-powered machine gun that can fire more than 50 rounds per second.
The weapon, unveiled Thursday, is a six-barrel Gatling gun called the Dillon Aero M134D. An undisclosed number of the guns will be mounted on vehicles and elsewhere at the lab.
"What we want to do is equip our protective force with the capability that will leave no doubt about the outcome," said Linton Brooks, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Lab critics questioned the wisdom of putting such powerful guns at the lab, which is across the street from suburban homes. They say the real problem is that the lab site, which is relatively small at 1 square mile, is not a good place for nuclear materials.
"If you don't have the firepower, that's one kind of security weakness, but if you do have the firepower, you potentially endanger nearby workers and community members because it's such a compact site," said Marylia Kelley, executive director of Tri-Valley CARES, a Livermore-based activist group.
Lab spokeswoman Susan Houghton said the guns add "one more layer of protection."
The 8,000-employee lab is 50 miles east of San Francisco.
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 02-03-2006 05:28 PM
Not too many weapons fire depleted uranium slugs. I don't know the bore diameter of the Dillon Aero M134D, but considering the somewhat compact appearance of the gun, I doubt the military would have any depleted uranium rounds for it.
Probably the most famous US military weapon using depleted uranium tipped bullets is the 30mm seven-barrel cannon on the nose cone of A-10 Warthog and Thunderbolt anti-tank jets. It has a cyclic rate of 3600 rounds per minute, 60 rounds per second. I argue it's the most badass machine gun on the planet.
Sure, the Phalax chain gun found on aircraft carriers and other Navy ships has nearly double the cyclic rate. However, it can be a huge pain in the ass to maintain. And it fires standard 20mm anti-aircraft bullets. By comparison, the 30mm rounds used in an A-10 Warthog are quite a bit larger.
When I was in middle school our family was stationed at Chandler Field, Belle Chasse, LA. The Naval Air Station had a squadron of A-10 Warthogs. During air shows (featuring the Blue Angels) they would have at least a couple A-10s out on display will all types of ammo used spread under the jets. Naturally those displays were cordened off and guarded. But it was still cool to see the bombs, bullets and missles the A-10 could carry. It's an old jet. But still very badass to this day.
This is from a Miliary.com page:
quote:
Depleted Uranium: Fast Facts
Depleted uranium is 70% more dense than lead, and 15% more dense than tungsten (the other metal commonly used for projectiles) -- this gives it more kinetic energy when fired. As a comparison, the amount of depleted uranium that would fill a 12-ounce can of Coke would weigh over 14 pounds.
Depleted uranium burns and melts as it penetrates steel, becoming 'sharper' rather than blunting, resulting in increased destructive power.
Projectiles made from depleted uranium are cheaper to manufacture than those made from tungsten because it can be cast easily.
Depleted Uranium's Current Uses:
Army
- 120 mm or 105 mm caliber projectiles used by the M1 Abrams and M60A3 tanks
- 25mm projectiles used by the M242 mounted on the M2 Bradley and the LAV-AT
- Some Abrams tanks have DU rods as reinforcements as part of its armour plating
Navy
- 20mm CIWS and 25mm Mk38 machine gun
Air Force
- 30mm caliber projectiles used by A-10 Thunderbolt II
Marine Corps
- 25 mm projectiles used by AV-8B Harrier
- 20mm projectiles for electric Gatling gun mounted on AH-1 helicopter gunships
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