XM214 minigun
Encyclopedia
The XM214 was a prototype
5.56 mm rotary barreled machine gun. It was designed and built by General Electric
, but it never reached mass production. Also known as the Microgun, the XM214 was a scaled-down version of the M134 "minigun"
, firing M193 5.56 x 45 mm ammunition.
. Length overall is 104.1 cm, gun only is 68.6 cm long. Width (including ammunition case) is 44.4 cm. Sighting was usually by optical telescope.
The Six-Pak consisted of the XM214, the ammunition package, and the power module, and the ammunition module consisted of two 500 round, factory packed, and disposable cassettes mounted to a holding rack. Linked ammunition was fed through a flexible chute to the gun; when the first cassette was empty, ammunition would then feed from the second cassette, tripping a visible signal that a new cassette needed to be added to the rack. The power module contained a 24 volt nickel-cadmium battery
, a 0.8 hp motor, and solid state electronic controls. Unless the battery was plugged into a vehicle's power supply, the battery's charge would be depleted after 3,000 rounds. The system could be broken down quickly into two portable loads of roughly 42 pounds apiece. This was accomplished by means of a quick-release fitting at that end of the belt chute fastened to the gun.
Electronic controls contained a burst limiter and handled the automatic clearing of the gun after bursts. Using the electronic controls, the weapon's rate of fire could be adjusted from 400 rpm all the way up to 4,000 rpm. Later editions of Jane's Infantry Weapons claimed a theoretical cyclic rate of up to 6,000 rpm. George Chinn, author of The Machine Gun Volume V, contended that the XM214 prototype had a rate of fire of up to 10,000 rpm, but the man-portable Six-Pak was limited to 4,000 rpm.
tactics in the early 2000s led to the resurrection of the XM214 system in a tank/APC CIWS role. General Dynamics, who now hold the license for the Microgun, increased the ROF to 12,000 rpm and offered the weapon mounted on armored fighting vehicle
s as anti-RPG or anti-ATGM defense.
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
5.56 mm rotary barreled machine gun. It was designed and built by General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, but it never reached mass production. Also known as the Microgun, the XM214 was a scaled-down version of the M134 "minigun"
Minigun
The Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
, firing M193 5.56 x 45 mm ammunition.
History
The XM214 was first developed for aircraft applications. Later General Electric developed it into a man-portable weapon system, known as the GE Six-Pak. The complete Six-Pak system weighed 85 pounds (38.5 kg) with 1,000 rounds of ammunition, comparable in weight to some heavy machine guns. The basic gun in the Six-Pak weighed 27 pounds, or 12.2 kg. The system could be carried by a team of two soldiers and mounted either to an M122 tripod or a vehicle's pintle mountPintle
A pintle is a pin or bolt, usually inserted into a gudgeon, which is used as part of a pivot or hinge.A pintle/gudgeon set is used in many spheres, for example: in sailing to hold the rudder onto the boat; in transportation a pincer-type device clamps through a lunette ring on the tongue of a...
. Length overall is 104.1 cm, gun only is 68.6 cm long. Width (including ammunition case) is 44.4 cm. Sighting was usually by optical telescope.
The Six-Pak consisted of the XM214, the ammunition package, and the power module, and the ammunition module consisted of two 500 round, factory packed, and disposable cassettes mounted to a holding rack. Linked ammunition was fed through a flexible chute to the gun; when the first cassette was empty, ammunition would then feed from the second cassette, tripping a visible signal that a new cassette needed to be added to the rack. The power module contained a 24 volt nickel-cadmium battery
Nickel-cadmium battery
The nickel–cadmium battery ' is a type of rechargeable battery using nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes....
, a 0.8 hp motor, and solid state electronic controls. Unless the battery was plugged into a vehicle's power supply, the battery's charge would be depleted after 3,000 rounds. The system could be broken down quickly into two portable loads of roughly 42 pounds apiece. This was accomplished by means of a quick-release fitting at that end of the belt chute fastened to the gun.
Electronic controls contained a burst limiter and handled the automatic clearing of the gun after bursts. Using the electronic controls, the weapon's rate of fire could be adjusted from 400 rpm all the way up to 4,000 rpm. Later editions of Jane's Infantry Weapons claimed a theoretical cyclic rate of up to 6,000 rpm. George Chinn, author of The Machine Gun Volume V, contended that the XM214 prototype had a rate of fire of up to 10,000 rpm, but the man-portable Six-Pak was limited to 4,000 rpm.
Microgun Pod
An 88 by 10 inch (224 x 25 cm) 5.56mm Microgun Pod was also developed for external use on light aircraft and helicopters. The unit had an ammunition capacity of from 1,500 to 3,500 rounds and loaded weight of 186 to 300 pounds. The feed system was linkless, via a helical drum, with a nominal rate of fire of 6,000 rpm. However, adjustments to 1,000 or 10,000 rpm were possible, if desired. Power could be provided by a built-in battery pack, or from the aircraft itself.Possible resurrection
The rise of MOUTUrban warfare
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...
tactics in the early 2000s led to the resurrection of the XM214 system in a tank/APC CIWS role. General Dynamics, who now hold the license for the Microgun, increased the ROF to 12,000 rpm and offered the weapon mounted on armored fighting vehicle
AFV
AFV may stand for:* Alianza Fidelidad por Veracruz, an electoral alliance that fought the 2007 election in the Mexican state of Veracruz* Alternative fuel vehicle* The on-air abbreviation for America's Funniest Home Videos, a U.S...
s as anti-RPG or anti-ATGM defense.
See also
- Fokker-LeimbergerFokker-LeimbergerThe Fokker-Leimberger was an early example of an externally powered machine gun of Imperial German origin that predated the M134 Minigun. It had 12 barrels and could fire at a rate of 7,200 rounds per minute but it suffered from jamming due to the poor quality of German war time production...
- Slostin machine gunSlostin machine gunThe Slostin was a Soviet-made self-powered Gatling type machine gun, developed directly after World War II but never put into production. It was gas-operated, with stationary breech and movable barrels, intended for 7.62x54mmR ammunition, and it was mounted on PM M1910 wheeled tripods. Each barrel...
- Hua Qing MinigunHua Qing MinigunThe Hua Qing Minigun is an externally-powered rotary barrel gatling gun of Chinese origin. The weapon is chambered in the 7.62x54Rmm round and was introduced at the 2009 Anti Terrorist Trade Show at Beijing. It is for use by Chinese infantry.-See also:...
- M197 Gatling gunM197 Gatling gunThe M197 electric cannon is a three-barreled electric Gatling gun developed primarily for use by United States Army helicopter gunships.Development of the M197 began in 1967 after experience in the Vietnam War revealed the inadequacy of the 7.62 mm Minigun for gunship use...
- MinigunMinigunThe Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
- Gatling gunGatling gunThe Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
, the 1860s weapon that originated the rotating-barrel concept