GAU-8/A (30 mm)

Description

The 30 mm GAU-8/A is an American rotary autocannon.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• A-10A
• A-10A Late

General info

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.

Available ammunition

• Default: HVAP-T · HEI · HVAP-T · HEI
• Ground targets: HVAP-T · HEI · HVAP · HVAP
• Air targets: HVAP-T · HEI · HEI · HEI
• Stealth: HVAP · HEI · HVAP · HEI

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HVAP-T	79	77	68	58	50	43
HEI	8	8	7	6	5	4
HVAP	79	77	68	58	50	43

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HVAP-T	980	0.43	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
HEI	1,020	0.38	0.2	0.1	92.8	79°	80°	81°
HVAP	980	0.43	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°

Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

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Pros and cons

Pros:

• Extremely high rate of fire
• Decent armour penetration
• Effective against all types of vehicles (ground, air, or naval)

Cons:

• High rate of fire requires trigger discipline

History

One of the most powerful aircraft cannons to ever take to the skies, the GAU-8/A Equalizer developed specifically for use on A-10A Thunderbolt II better known as the "Warthog". The A-X program that produced the A-10 was first conceived in September of 1966 when the Air Force recognized a gap in their close air support capabilities for escort and fire suppression and created the A-X program office to develop the specifications for the new aircraft. The request for proposals came out on March 6th, 1967 and specified a 30 mm rotary cannon armament that the aircraft would be designed around. Intended for destroying Soviet armour, the 30 mm cannon received an RFP with specifications of a high muzzle velocity and a rate of fire of 4,000 rounds per minute. General Electric and Philco-Ford both submitted designs for the competition which General Electric won. The Equalizer is only one part of a much larger gun assembly that includes a feed system, ammunition drum, and two independent hydraulic motors to power the gun. The complete assembly is officially designated the A/A 49E-6 Gun System and the A-10 is truly built around bringing this beast of a weapon to battle. Making up 16% of the Thunderbolt's unladen weight, the plane requires a special jack for stability when the Equalizer is removed for maintenance.

The Equalizer is mounted just slightly off-axis to port in order to prevent the recoil from hampering the accuracy of fire during an attack run. The GAU-8/A takes half a second to reach the top firing speed, fires depleted uranium armour-piercing shells for destroying tanks, and can be 80% accurate when firing at 40 foot diameter circle while flying at 4,000 feet. For protection, both the gun and ammo drum are protected by armour designed to detonate enemy shells before they damage the internal components.

Media

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.