"Interim"
Further to the update I appended to Mark's post yesterday, I've managed to dig up a bit more info about the door-mounted weaponry on the CH-146 Griffon.
The plan is to replace the M134D Dillon Aero (7.62mm) with the M3M/GAU-21 (.50-cal) eventually. What specifically eventually means, I don't know, but I suspect we're talking months rather than years.
What I do know is that the M3M would pack a much bigger punch than the M134:
That's not to say that the M134 doesn't have its advantages: weight, rate of fire, lifespan, just to name a few. And to read their promotional material (pdf), it's more accurate too (check out the video as well). But the M3M brings two important upgraded capabilities to the table: more stopping power (12.7mm versus 7.62mm rounds), and double the range (2000m versus 1000m). That improvement in standoff ability is particularly valuable on a helicopter with very little armour.
So what's to be done with the Dillons once they're replaced? I don't know. I'm hoping someone finds another use for them. Having a range of weapons that fire standard ammo and can be mounted on a helo is a good thing.
We'll see how this all pans out. To some degree, we're making this up as we go along. It's not gun tape and baling wire, but it's not like we're actually buying attack choppers either. I suspect the Tac Hel community is going to have a very steep learning curve over the next few months, and the door guns will be only one part of that.
The plan is to replace the M134D Dillon Aero (7.62mm) with the M3M/GAU-21 (.50-cal) eventually. What specifically eventually means, I don't know, but I suspect we're talking months rather than years.
What I do know is that the M3M would pack a much bigger punch than the M134:
The M3M is a .50 caliber (12.7mm) machine gun suitable for rotary-wing aircraft applications manufactured by FN Herstal of Belgium. This .50 caliber machine gun provides suppressive fire to counter light armored vehicles, support fire in landing zones, ground and aerial threat suppression, and training. Its short time maximum firing rate is 1,100 rounds per minute or 600 rounds in a single burst against targets at ranges of over 2,000 meters. The weapon's design with the hands on the pintle and an elastic craddle (recoil forces absorbed) allow for high accuracy. The weapon system is provided with ammunition boxes with the capacity ranging from 100 rounds (14.4 kg) to 600 rounds (96.4 kg).
That's not to say that the M134 doesn't have its advantages: weight, rate of fire, lifespan, just to name a few. And to read their promotional material (pdf), it's more accurate too (check out the video as well). But the M3M brings two important upgraded capabilities to the table: more stopping power (12.7mm versus 7.62mm rounds), and double the range (2000m versus 1000m). That improvement in standoff ability is particularly valuable on a helicopter with very little armour.
So what's to be done with the Dillons once they're replaced? I don't know. I'm hoping someone finds another use for them. Having a range of weapons that fire standard ammo and can be mounted on a helo is a good thing.
We'll see how this all pans out. To some degree, we're making this up as we go along. It's not gun tape and baling wire, but it's not like we're actually buying attack choppers either. I suspect the Tac Hel community is going to have a very steep learning curve over the next few months, and the door guns will be only one part of that.
posted by Babbling Brooks at 1:14 p.m.
5 Comments:
Given the weight of the .50 weapon & the ammunition vs the 7.62, I'd guess the bigger gun system is for the Chinooks as well.
The weight issue would be more of a challenge for a Griffon, but I would defer to any fling-wing experts out there who actually know the facts.
Put the Dillons in guard towers. Pintle mount them on Bisons. Lots of uses.
I'm with you, Holdfast: I'd like to see them put to another use.
But, just to play devil's advocate for a moment, the concern would be spares and maintenance for an orphan weapon system. We wouldn't have enough to mount them on enough vehicles to justify the logistic and training tail we'd have to create for them. And since they require electrical power to operate, they can't be used in a "rough" environment, isolated from a power source, which limits their utility to any but a mechanized or heavily supported unit.
Personally, I'd love to see them belly-mounted on a UAV, but we're more likely to mount a Canada-only Mars mission in my lifetime than to arm UAV's like that in the next decade...
Oh, and Fred? You're assuming the Chinook F purchase is actually going to happen. I'm hearing serious rumblings hinting at things I really don't like...
The CH-146 are supposed to be armed with the 7.62mm M134D. The CH-147D are supposed to be armed with 1 x .50 cal (Behind) and 2 x 7.62mm (C6) right now they're armed with 3 x 7.62mm M240 (American weapon).
The CH-147D were from the 101th airborne,and the defence on board was configuration for American because they have AH-64 to provide a good protection so they don't need a large .50 cal behind.
The minigun are not an interim weapon but the official weapon for ensure a protection ,Peter MacKay had declared that two months ago.
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