General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun

Six-Barrel Gatling Gun

United States | 1965

"The GAU-17 Minigun is the USAF and USN version of the Vietnam War-era M134 Minigun product."

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

3,280 ft
999.7 m | 1,093.3 yds
Max.Eff.Range

4,000
Rounds-Per-Minute
Rate-of-Fire

2,800 ft/sec
853 m/sec
Muzzle Velocity

Physical
The physical qualities of the General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

800 mm
31.50 in
O/A Length

558 mm
21.97 in
Barrel Length

35.27 lb
16.00 kg
Weight

Electrically-Driven; Belt-Fed
Action

7.62x51mm NATO
Caliber(s)

1,500 to 4,400-round linked belts
Feed

Fixed; Optional Optics
Sights

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun Six-Barrel Gatling Gun family line.

XM134 - Developmental designation; 7.62x51mm NATO chambering; GE production.

M134 - US Army designation; scaled-down version 7.62mm caliber version of the M61A1 for use in helicopter gunships; 6,000 fixed rate-of-fire.

M134D - Guns by Dillon Aero; steel housing and rotor; 62lb weight.

M134T - Reduced-weight variant by Dillon Aero; titanium housing and rotor; 41lb weight.

M134D-H - Dillon Aero version; steel housing with titanium rotor; increased lifespan per round fired.

M134G - Garwood Industries variant; upgraded GE version; 3,200rpm for increased accuracy.

XM214 - Compact version of XM134 firing 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition.

XM196 - Ejection sprocket on housing; fitted to XM53 armament subsystem of the Lockheed AH-56 "Cheyenne" attack helicopter.

GAU-2/A - USAF/USN Designation; fixed mount

GAU-2B/A - USAF/USN Designation

GAU-17/A - USN/USMC Designation; flexible mount

GAUSE-17/A - U.S. Navy Designation; shipboard equipment form.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/21/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The General Electric GAU-17/A "minigun" represents the USAF/USN derivative of the U.S. Army's Vietnam War-era General Electric M134 Minigun vehicler-mounted weapon system. The GAU-17 operation follows the Gatling rotary-style munitions delivery arrangement pioneered by Dr. Richard J. Gatling during the 1880's. These early forms relied on a hand-cranked mechanical action to rotate their barrels and feeding was by way of top-inserted cartridges. The concept proved sound and was revisited quite some time later when an electric motor was installed to supply power for the needed rotary action. Despite its 1960s origins, the GAU-17/A is a standardized suppression weapon still in use today (2015)) by conventional and special forces elements.

The original General Electric Gatling gun attempt was developed under the project name of "Vulcan". The program produced the M61 Gatling system, and aircraft-mounted rotary cannon firing 20mm projectiles. With the increasing use of helicopters as armed assault ships (gunships) during the Vietnam War, the M61 was reworked by General Electric to a more compact form, becoming relatively portable M134 Minigun series chambered to fire the NATO-standard 7.62x51mm rifle cartridge at an impressive 6,000 rounds-per-minute. The M134 was a prominent fixture on U.S. Army helicopters and fixed-wing gunships throughout the Vietnam War when it was found that slow, low-flying aircraft prove susceptible to ground fire originating from the cover of the jungle. A suppression weapon was needed to clear jungle and assail the enemy hiding beneath.

The GAU-17/A, although essentially similar in most respects to the U.S. Army's M134. It features a firing selector switch for "low rate" firing at 2,000 rounds-per-minute or "high rate" firing at 4,000 rounds-per-minute (the Army's originally fired at a fixed 6,000 rounds-per-minute). The GAU-17/A fires the same 7.62x51mm cartridge as the Army M134. Ammunition "cook-off" is avoided by having a deliberate delay installed in the firing action and this is activated after the trigger is released to ensure all six barrels are cleared of loaded cartridges before coming to a complete stop. Full magazines can be issued in various counts ranging from 1,500 rounds to 4,400 rounds as needed.

Broken down into its core components, the GAU-17/A system consists of the six-barrel rotary M134D gun system, the electrically-powered drive motor, a de-linking ammunition feeder, the ammunition canister, a flexible ammunition feed and the electrical gun control assembly with associated cabling for the power supply. The barrels are fitted with a flash suppressor made of titanium and the barrel unit rotates counterclockwise when viewing the weapon from behind the trigger.

GAU-17/A Miniguns are still highly-prized suppression weapons in the American military and have seen widespread acceptance in the inventories of American allies the world over. The USAF/USN services use the designations GAU-2/A and GAU-17A denoting their fixed and flexible mounts respectively. The USMC also uses the GAU-17A.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): General Electric / Lockheed Martin Armament Systems / Garwood Industries / McNally Industries / Dillon Aero / Garwood Industries - USA

National flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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Image of the General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

Going Further...
The General Electric GAU-17/A Minigun Six-Barrel Gatling Gun appears in the following collections:

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