Corps helos to get new machine guns - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Corps helos to get new machine guns

Eventually, all Marine and Navy assault support rotary wing aircraft will be equipped with the M3M FN Herstal GAU-21 .50-caliber machine gun.

For the Corps, it is now in use on the ramps of the CH-53E Super Stallion, a heavy-lift helicopter, as well as the ramp and windows of the CH-53D, the Super Stallion’s predecessor. But officials at Naval Air Systems Command also are working to integrate a door-mounted GAU-21 onto the CH-53E and the UH-1Y Venom, the Corps’ newest light-utility helicopter.

The GAU-21, which remains in developmental testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., can fire more than 1,000 rounds per minute compared to the roughly 700 rounds per minute of the M2 Browning GAU-16/A machine gun it is replacing. When factoring in the jamming problems experienced by the GAU-16, the GAU-21 can offer double the rate of fire of its predecessor, said Navy Capt. Brian Corey, the program manager for direct and time-sensitive strike programs.

Engineers at Patuxent River, however, are still trying to figure out how the .50-caliber, belt-fed rounds should be fed into the gun and where the ammunition should be stored, Corey said.

In addition to putting more rounds down range, the new gun, with a maximum effective range of 21,000 feet, is more accurate due to a new recoil compensation system that also reduces the wear and tear on helicopters. When you fire the GAU-16, the shock rattles all the way down to the airframe, which causes a strong vibration and makes accuracy difficult, said Col. Harry Hewson, the program manager for Marine light/attack helicopters. The new system absorbs that shock in the mount, he said. NavAir also is working to install laser sights for night use.

The door-mounted GAU-21s are expected to enter operational testing by the end of the summer at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif. Marine Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9 will test its accuracy and safety. Testing also will include a go at the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course in Yuma, Ariz.

Officials say they may begin fielding the weapon for door mounts on both the CH-53E and the UH-1Y in about a year. The guns cost about $60,000 each, including the mount system, and the Corps hopes to field 1,700 machine guns for the two platforms, Corey said.

The additional firepower will allow Marine helicopters to stay at their station longer and provide more close-air support to grunts.