WT Forums

From TFL, this intrigued me. Was checking to see what people here had on it.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/sho ... stcount=13

"Some pup"
Nickname by Fenderstrat72

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Evil is evil, no matter how small.

Gift'd

I had heard about the GAU-9 program (Hughes Tool Company was awarded a development contract for the GAU-9 to be used in case the GAU-8 program failed. The GAU-9 was a license-built version of the Swiss Oerlikon 304RF 30 mm cannon. The GAU-9 was tested against the GAU-8 in the spring of 1973 but was inferior to the "Avenger" so development was halted on the GAU-9.)

<i>source: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research ... /a6-13.htm</i>

But this web site (http://www.designation-systems.net/usmi ... s/u-g.html) claims the GAU-7/A was a 25mm gun intended for F-15 but the program was cancelled.

Also...

<b> The Eagle was originally intended to have been armed with a 25-mm Ford-Philco GAU-7 cannon that fired caseless ammunition. Caseless ammunition offers the advantage of a higher round velocity with a flatter trajectory. In addition, it has the advantage that there are no spent casings that need to be handled. However, the feed system of the GAU-7 never did work properly, which meant that the gun could not be fired at high rates lest it jam. In addition, caseless ammunition is much more difficult to handle than conventional ammunition, and there is always the danger of it "cooking off" inside the gun, so every part of the gun system (including the ammunition drum) had to be lined with armor, adding to the weight. Consequently, it was decided to opt instead for the 20-mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon, since it was by that time a fully-proven weapon.</b>

<i>source: http://www.ksfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=1118325</i>

A pic of it can be seen here:

<img src="http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/23-30exp.jpg" border=0>

<i>Legend: 20x110 for scale, 23x106 Madsen, 23x122 HS.406/407 (French 1940), 23x139SR (US T4 early 1940s), 25x116B Swiss (necked-down Aden case), 25mm projectile from US GAU-7 cannon 1960s (contained within combustible case), 30x91 Mauser MK 212 WW2 (replica case), 30x100B WECOM (XM 140 - for Cheyenne helicopter), 30x136 (HS 825 - 1950s aircraft gun), 30x165 Philco-Ford (rival to GAU-8/A)</i>

<i>source: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/tankammo.html</i>

So I think sensop in middle Georgia has got his info wrong...it appears the GAU-7 25mm wasn't intended for the A-10 but the F-15, which ended up with the Vulcan cannon.

Cheers! M2

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
From TFL, this intrigued me. Was checking to see what people here had on it.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/sho ... stcount=13<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Gift'd

I hate to argue with a retired AFRes Spectre crewdog, especially one who claims "I was an Instrumentation Technician on the government test team for the GAU-7," as he seems to know his shit ("As I recall, Philco and GE competed for the weapon and feeder. Brunswick and Hercules competed for the ammo contract. The Philco gun was a five-barreled arrangement and GE used six. Each of them brought a single shot platform to test ammo on"); but can you run the above info by him and find out where he got his connection of the GAU-7 to the A-10? It may just be a minor memory slip, Lord knows I have them all the time, but I am intrigued on his claim that the caseless 25mm cannon was intended for the Hawg.

Cheers! M2

OK, last reply on this...

He also said,

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote><u>There is an old thread here about it</u>. Like one day when the borescope was left in one of the single shot platforms...Got a bullseye with that periscope! Had a couple of fires too...about 60 rounds into a 200 round burst ('have to find that old thread). Timing between the feeder and rotating barrels was a real problem. Even gear driven, the lash caused scuffing of the rounds passng from the feeder to the chambers. The guns were fired from enclosed bays. The muzzle blast would buildup until there was a sheet of fire 30-40 feet outside the bay doors. At the end of a burst, clean air would rush into the bay, wash over the gun while it was still hot and all that scuffed particalized propellant was still in the air and ... thar she went! 'Sounded like a BIG popcorn machine.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

So if there is any way you can locate that thread it might be helpful.

Cheers! M2

OK, this is <b>REALLY</b> my last reply on this...

Here is the original thread on the GAu-7:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/sho ... ight=GAU-7

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>In an earlier life as an instrumentation techician for the US Gov't, I measured and recorded the behavior of internal ballistics energy on the outside of the barrel of the GAU-7 (caseless ammo, 25 mm gatling gun). It was abandoned due to the mechanical synchronization problem between feeder, loader and rotating chambers at high speeds. <u>I believe the GAU-8 30 mm succeeded it and went on the A-10</u>. The caseless ammo didn't like being skinned up during transport to the chamber. We started a fire once right in the middle of a 200 round burst.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

to which someone (Gopher a 45 ) replied...

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Was that the Philco-Ford project? Wasn't this gun a possible replacement for the M61 to be put on the then-new F-15? <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

To which sensop said...

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>I don't believe the GAU-7 was targeted for the F-15, but I could be wrong. I thought it was an A-10 project. The A-10 was a new project then too.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

But that's it. Despite knowing a lot about weapons, I do think sensop was wrong about the GAu-7 being intended for the A-10.

I'll shut up now...

Cheers! M2

Thanks. I didn't think it was, I'd heard about the GAU-9, I hadn't heard about a GAU-7 until he mentioned it.

"Some pup"
Nickname by Fenderstrat72

_________________
Evil is evil, no matter how small.