Fighter Aircraft Cannon
- Thread starter jaffo4011
- Start date
If you look at numbers in use the American 20mm Gatling is probably the best. It used in nearly every American fighter for the last 40 years, and in a number of other different types of western aircraft.
The most accurate system would be the Mauser system attached to Gripen. The sights and guns act in such harmony that Swedish pilots are able to hit targets over 4 miles away with their cannons. That nearly bridges that gap between the cannon and sidewinder or ASRAAM in use.
The Rafales new 30mm cannon is highly reliable, accurate, and has a extremely high rate of fire for a single barreled gun.
For gound attacks the GAU-8 is still the best, but its a massive beast and thus is still only on one aircraft the A-10.
The most accurate system would be the Mauser system attached to Gripen. The sights and guns act in such harmony that Swedish pilots are able to hit targets over 4 miles away with their cannons. That nearly bridges that gap between the cannon and sidewinder or ASRAAM in use.
The Rafales new 30mm cannon is highly reliable, accurate, and has a extremely high rate of fire for a single barreled gun.
For gound attacks the GAU-8 is still the best, but its a massive beast and thus is still only on one aircraft the A-10.
Michael RVR
New Member
RE RAF & Mauser.. I was under the impression it was always fitted due to CoG issues, but only recently they bothered to purchase ammunition for it.. could be wrong though.
Yeah thats right.
First they thought that they could save the money but they found out that it was more expensive to develop and install a weight than to just buy the Mauser but not buy the ammo.
Great decision of the british MoD!
(I know they changed their decision)
First they thought that they could save the money but they found out that it was more expensive to develop and install a weight than to just buy the Mauser but not buy the ammo.
Great decision of the british MoD!
(I know they changed their decision)
Strictly for air-to-air use the best I think is the Russian Gryatsev-Shipunow GSh-30-1. Installed in the Flankers. Simple, low weight, high cadence, said to be very precise. Downside is a servicelife of only 2000 rounds or so (Flanker has 150 rounds). Afterwards you basically throw it away.
For "extended" use (air-to-ground) the BK27 is probably the most balanced gun (weight, package size, cadence, servicelife, reliability, effect on target, ...).
Not sure about the GIAT 791. Sacrifices servicelife for cadence.
Gatlings are very bulky with a rather large frontal area and the drum magazine is hard to integrate into an airframe w/o wasting volume (look at the F-16 integration), plus most of them are pretty useless during the first half second of firing.
For "extended" use (air-to-ground) the BK27 is probably the most balanced gun (weight, package size, cadence, servicelife, reliability, effect on target, ...).
Not sure about the GIAT 791. Sacrifices servicelife for cadence.
Gatlings are very bulky with a rather large frontal area and the drum magazine is hard to integrate into an airframe w/o wasting volume (look at the F-16 integration), plus most of them are pretty useless during the first half second of firing.
Everytime we try to put these cannons into history museums we end up with Pilots screaming for them back on their birds. The F-4 Phantom/earlysidewinder debacle was probably the biggest example of the technocrats trying to tell pilot warriors what works or not.
Here it is 2007 and were still strapping the things onto fighters the enemy will never even see. Somehow it makes me feel better knowing they are on them. Hasn't it been finalized all versions of F-35 will have the 25mm? I know the Jarheads wont buy it without one.
Here it is 2007 and were still strapping the things onto fighters the enemy will never even see. Somehow it makes me feel better knowing they are on them. Hasn't it been finalized all versions of F-35 will have the 25mm? I know the Jarheads wont buy it without one.
That's why I was staggered that the RAF were going to buy their Typhoons without the cannon. I bet they didn't ask the pilots! Thank goodness that they have ended up with a gun even if it was by default.
I imagine there is some comfort in knowing that if you run out of missiles, or countermeasures are effective against your missiles, you still have a gun. Also of course it has a place in ground attack missions.
Cheers
I too think the Mauser Bk 27 is one of the best onboard guns. According to the official Rheinmetall defence website for the Eurofighter the package size was even reduced by 60% compared to earlier variants thanks mainly to the linkless feeding system.
Rheinmetall claims very high precision for the Bk27.
Some data on this newest variant :
Type: gas-operated automatic revolver cannon, linkless ammunition feeding system
Rate of fire: 1,700 rds/min
Muzzle velocity: V0 1,025 m/s
Velocity after 1000m: 695 m/s
Muzzle energy: 136 600 Nm
Version Mass incl. barrel: 102.5 kg
Compared to the Vulcan, during the first second (and it's said that most bursts in a dogfight aren't much longer) the Bk 27 delievers 7kg to the target while the Vulcan delievers about 6kg. As distiller said, that's mainly because the "ramp-up" of a gatling type gun.
A wide range of ammunition is available for the Bk27 incl. HE, AP, APHE, SAPHE, MP/PIE and the kick-a** 27 mm x 145 FAPDS.
Lifetime is up to 23.000 rounds which makes 3x NATO requirement service lifetime.
Besides on the Tornado, Eurofighter and Gripen the gun is also used with the new MLG 27 naval gun.
Links:
http://www.rheinmetall-detec.de/index.php?fid=1516&lang=3&pdb=1
http://www.waffenhq.de/flugzeuge/bk27.html
Rheinmetall claims very high precision for the Bk27.
Some data on this newest variant :
Type: gas-operated automatic revolver cannon, linkless ammunition feeding system
Rate of fire: 1,700 rds/min
Muzzle velocity: V0 1,025 m/s
Velocity after 1000m: 695 m/s
Muzzle energy: 136 600 Nm
Version Mass incl. barrel: 102.5 kg
Compared to the Vulcan, during the first second (and it's said that most bursts in a dogfight aren't much longer) the Bk 27 delievers 7kg to the target while the Vulcan delievers about 6kg. As distiller said, that's mainly because the "ramp-up" of a gatling type gun.
A wide range of ammunition is available for the Bk27 incl. HE, AP, APHE, SAPHE, MP/PIE and the kick-a** 27 mm x 145 FAPDS.
Lifetime is up to 23.000 rounds which makes 3x NATO requirement service lifetime.
Besides on the Tornado, Eurofighter and Gripen the gun is also used with the new MLG 27 naval gun.
Links:
http://www.rheinmetall-detec.de/index.php?fid=1516&lang=3&pdb=1
http://www.waffenhq.de/flugzeuge/bk27.html