Bell Boeing has selected the General Dynamics Armament Systems 12.7mm turreted gun system (TGS) for the US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor and will begin integration of the weapon next year.
The TGS is based on the GAU-19/A gatling gun fitted to the Sikorsky UH/MH-60K/L Black Hawk helicopters. The three-barrel system weighs 209kg (460lb) empty and can fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute.
Bell Boeing plans to mount the TGS on the Osprey's forward 'anti plough' bulkhead with the electrical belt feed channelled back through the nosewheel bay to a 750 round under-the-floor magazine. The gun can be reloaded in flight from the forward cargo hold.
Installation of a retractable inflight refuelling probe will give a 148° azimuth and 70° elevation field of fire. The gun will be slaved to a helmet mounted cueing system and forward-looking infrared sensor. Flight testing will begin in 2004 with deliveries starting the following year.
The US Air Force is also looking at the self-defence gun for its CV-22B Special Operations Command tiltrotors. The CV-22 will have a nose-mounted radar which will be subject to a muzzle blast environment study.
Source: Flight International
