Interesting pic of the gun in the a10 thunderbolt AKA tankkiller.
The bullet for the 30x173 Avenger has an aluminum jacket around a spent uranium core and weighs 6560 grains (yes, over 100 times as heavy as the M16 bullet, and flies through the air at 3500 fps (which is faster than the M16 as well).
The gun shoots at a rate of 4200 rounds per minute, Yes, four thousand.
Pilots typically shoot either one- or two-second burst which set loose 70 to 150 rounds.
The system is optimized for shooting at 4,000 feet.
OK, the best for last.
You've got a pretty good idea of how big that cartridge is, but I'll bet you're like me and you don't fully appreciate how big the GA GAU-8 Avenger really is.
Take a look.
Each of those seven barrels is 112" long.
That's almost ten feet.
The entire gun is 19-1/2 feet long.
Think how impressive it would look set up in your living room.
Oh, by the way, it doesn't eject the empty shells but runs them back into the storage drum. There's just so dang many flying out, they felt it might damage the aircraft.
Oh yeah, I forgot, they can hang those bomb and rocket things on 'em too, just in case.
After all, it is an "airplane"!
Like I said, this is a beautiful design.



Smile it will get Worse!!





...and yes, over prime the sh!t outta them and they'ld get stored.


