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F-106a-100-CO 58-0795 of the Air Defense Weapons Center, Tyendall AFB, Florida was the test bed aircraft for the new clear top canopy and the GE Vulcan Gun Pod.  It is shown with camera pods on the wing stations.

 

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M61A1 Vulcan 20-mm Cannon.

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The 6-barreled M61A1 Vulcan 20-mm Gatling gun has been the standard internal gun armament on most US combat aircraft for over 30 years. (The self-powered GAU 4 is virtually identical.)

The M61 operates on the Gatling principle. 6, 20-mm barrels mounted on a geared rotor, driven by a 20-hp electric motor.  Firing only once per revolution reduces each barrel's rate of fire to below that of most single-barrel revolver cannon.   The use of external power eliminates jamming due to a misfired round.

In the F-106's double-ended, hydraulically driven link-less feed system, rounds were stored along longitudinal rails within the drum and moved to the gun end by a helix. A rotating scoop disc assembly transfers the rounds to a rotating retaining ring. The rounds travel partway around the ring to the exit unit, which puts the rounds into the chute that feeds the gun. Empty cases are returned to the drum for storage.

Dimensions
	M61A1	Length: 6 ft 1.4 in (1.86 m) Diameter: 1 ft 1.5 in (343 mm) Recoil: 0.25 in (6.4 mm)
Armament	bore	6 x 20-mm rifled barrels on a geared rotor mounting M61A1 is driven by external electrical or hydraulic power GAU 4 is self-driven by gun exhaust gases
	load/fire system	bolt on each rotating barrel opens and closes as it follows fixed cam path ammunition feed and storage link-less feed from 1,020 to 1,200 round storage drum
Performance	rate of fire	typical: 6,000 rpm maximum: 7,200 rpm
	average recoil force	4,000 shots/min: 2,661 LB (1,207 kg) 6,000 shots/min: 3,818 LB (1,732 kg)
	muzzle velocity	M56 projectile: 3,380 fps (1,030 mps) PGU-28/B: 3,450 fps (1,052 mps)

 

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The M61A1 Vulcan cannon is a six-barrel 20mm gun capable of firing 6,600 rounds per minute. Its operation is based upon the principle used in the rapid-firing gun invented by Richard J. Gatling in the 1860s. The six rotating barrels, firing one at a time, permit a high rate of fire while at the same time reducing the problem of barrel wear and heat generation. The gun can be driven electrically, hydraulically, or by a ram-air turbine. The Vulcan has equipped such USAF aircraft as the F-104, F-105 B/D/F, F-15, F-16, A-7D, F-111 A, F-4E, B-58, and B-52H. A ram-air driven M61A1 is the heart of the SUU-16/A external gun pod that can be carried under the wings of high-performance aircraft lacking internally mounted guns. The Vulcan is one of the USAF weapons that served in Operation Desert Storm.

The 6-barreled M61A1 Vulcan 20-mm Gatling gun has been the standard internal gun armament on most US combat aircraft for over 30 years. (The self-powered GAU 4 is virtually identical.)

The M61 operates on the Gatling principle. 6, 20-mm barrels mounted on a geared rotor, driven by a 20-hp electric motor.  Firing only once per revolution reduces each barrel's rate of fire to below that of most single-barrel revolver cannon.   The use of external power eliminates jamming due to a misfired round.

In the F-106's double-ended, hydraulically driven link less feed system, rounds were stored along longitudinal rails within the drum and moved to the gun end by a helix. A rotating scoop disc assembly transfers the rounds to a rotating retaining ring. The rounds travel partway around the ring to the exit unit, which puts the rounds into the chute that feeds the gun. Empty cases are returned to the drum for storage.

 

COURTESY UASF WEAPONS CENTER

 

MANUFACTURER ..........................  General Electric Inc.

Caliber .........................................  20mm

Ammunition Capacity ............  650 Rounds

Rate of fire fixed at ...............  4,500 Rounds per Minute

Burst duration .........................  8.666 Seconds

THE TOTAL SYSTEM WEIGHT ......  1,059 lbs Loaded

Courtesy United States Air Force  

More  About The 20mm M61A1 Vulcan Cannon

More About The "Vulcan"  M61A1 Cannon