GAU-8/A Avenger 30 mm cannon, A-10 armament system (United States), Guns - Integral and mounted

Development
In 1968 General Electric (now General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products) began work, as a private venture, on a cannon specifically designed for destroying tanks and other armoured ground targets. Like the earlier family of Vulcan cannon the new weapon used the same Gatling gun principle, but the calibre was increased to 30 mm and the number of gun barrels to seven. From the outset, because of the cannon's physical size and power, it was clear that any future close air support aircraft would have to be virtually designed around such a weapon.In 1971 a contract was awarded to develop the 30 mm cannon, now designated GAU-8/A, in order to provide the main armament system for the new close air support aircraft which was at the time in the competitive stage of development. In 1972 Fairchild won the aircraft competition, and in 1973 was awarded the contract to produce prototypes of the A-10 with the GAU-8/A Avenger cannon fitted.Fairchild and GE worked together on the problem of fitting the large weapon system, which measured 6.4 m (nearly 21 ft) from the muzzle to the rear of the ammunition drum, into the aircraft. Because of the cannon's power and recoil forces, it was desirable to place the axis of the firing barrel (at the six o'clock position on the cannon) on the aircraft centreline. This in turn required the A-10's nosewheel and landing gear to be offset to the right side of the aircraft. When the installation was eventually finished,

Description
The GAU-8/A Avenger weapon system, which was specifically designed for the A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog) close air support combat aircraft, consists of four major assemblies: the GAU-8/A cannon itself, a drive system, feed and ammunition storage system, and an electrical control system. The total system is 6.4 m long and when fully loaded weighs 1,723 kg. Access to the system is through a series of doors in the bottom of the fuselage.The GAU-8/A cannon on its own is 2.9 m long, has a maximum diameter of 356 mm, and weighs 281 kg. It is a 30 mm seven-barrelled, Gatling type cannon has a rotary action powered by a twin hydraulic supply, with a firing rate of 1,800 or 4,200 rds/min. All barrels are rigidly clamped together and attached to the forward end of the breech rotor, which rotates in a stationary housing. Each of the cannon's barrels fire only once during each revolution of the barrel cluster, and the cannon barrel is attached to the cannon rotor by quick-release lugs. The barrels are fitted at a 2° depression and offset slightly to port so that as they rotate, the firing barrel is always on the aircraft's centreline. Each barrel is credited with a minimum life of 20,000 rounds. The cannon rotor is journalled within a stationary housing, and contains the seven gun bolts which slide fore and aft on tracks providing the ram, lock, fire, unlock and extracting functions. When the cannon is fired, the rotor revolves anti-clockwise looking in

The complete article appears in the following publication:
Publication Title	Jane's Air-Launched Weapons
Publication date	Aug 15, 2011
Section	Guns - Integral and mounted
Publication synopsis	The only accessible and constantly updated guide to the world's inventories of airborne weapons. Covering well over 600 systems, in service or in development, it provides a detailed and comprehensive reference to: capabilities/technology; functionality/effectiveness; user base; combat record; upgrades, variants and future enhancements. The guide includes extensive analysis tables covering all weapon types, national inventories and aircraft weapon loads and documents the world's air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, bombs, rockets, guns and underwater weapons, including new and emerging weapons.
Key contents include	Detailed review of worldwide events in the air-launched world. New systems, weapons tests/trials, combat details, contracts and deliveries, industrial moves and more Air-to-air missiles within and beyond visual range Air-to-surface missiles & direct attack, anti-ship, stand off and cruise missiles Bombs & precision and guided munitions, cluster and dispenser munitions, nuclear weapons, conventional unguided bombs Guns - integrated and mounted, podded systems Air-launched rockets Underwater weapons - mines/depth charges, torpedoes Analysis tables Contractors listings
Different sections provide in-depth detail covering	Air-Launched Rockets Air-To-Air Missiles - Beyond Visual Range Air-To-Air Missiles - Within Visual Range Air-To-Surface Missiles - Anti-Ship Air-To-Surface Missiles - Direct Attack Air-To-Surface Missiles - Stand-Off And Cruise Analysis Analysis - Air-To-Air Missiles Analysis - Air-To-Surface Missiles Analysis - Automatic Grenade Launchers Analysis - Bombs Analysis - Country Inventories - In Development Analysis - Country Inventories - In Service Analysis - Gun Pods And Mountings Analysis - Guns Analysis - In-Service Combat Aircraft And Their Air-Launched Weapons Capabilities Analysis - Mines And Depth Charges Analysis - Rocket Launchers Analysis - Rockets Analysis - Torpedoes Analysis - Worldwide In-Service Combat Aircraft Bombs - Cluster And Dispenser Munitions Bombs - Precision And Guided Munitions Bombs - Unguided Contractors Glossary Guns - Integral And Mounted Guns - Podded Systems Underwater Weapons - Mines And Depth Charges Underwater Weapons - Torpedoes Underwater Weapons - Unclassified Projects

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