GAU-19/A .50BMG

Well, it is Gatling gun week here at Homemade Defense, and the next on our list is the GAU-19/A. The GAU-19/A is a tri-barrel Gatling type weapon chambered in the steel-shredding .50BMG cartridge. Designed by GE in an attempt to boost the power of helicopter gunships, it is reportedly in service in the USA, Colombia, Mexico, and Oman.

It was designed to be mostly on helicopters, although a Humvee mounting kit is also exists.
It was origninally designed with a 6 barrel setup, and a linkless feed, but can be fed from a standard M9 linked belt if a delinker feeder is used. The rate of fire is selectable to be either 1,000 or 2,000 rounds per minute. The Humvee kit version fires at 1,300 rounds per minute. The average recoil force when firing is 500 lbs, so the staff here at Homemade Defense do not suggest any attempts at firing it offhand, unless you let me take a video for youtube.



I have not actually seen any photos or reports of the GAU-19 mounted on US military vehicles deployed to a war zone, but that does not mean it isn't there. There was talk that it would be mounted underneath the fuselage of the V-22 Osprey, but that plan has apparently been shelved for now. A shame.


The GAU-19/A is an unbelievably powerful weapon, and its greatest weakness is probably that it is difficult to carry enough ammunition to stay in the fight long. The very high rate of fire, combined with the immense power or the .50 caliber and the accuracy of Gatling weapons makes this something you do not want to see coming. I guess you don't want to not see it coming either, but at least you might take comfort in dying with clean drawers.