M61A1 VULCAN 20MM CANNON
In late 2002 the Restoration Unit acquired a SUU/16/A gun pod which houses the General Electric M61A1
20-MM cannon as used on the McDonnell Douglas F-4 "Phantom" (see "AIRPARK"). At first it was planned that the pod would be restored
and put on display with the F-4 in the Airpark but later it was decided that it would be displayed in the Museum section of the
restoration building along with the ejection seat, the P&W R-2800 engine and the jet turbine engine for the OH-58 helicopter.
The 6 barreled M61A1 Vulcan 20-MM Gatling gun has been the standard gun armament on most US
combat aircraft for over 30 years, the F-4, F-14, F-15, F-16 and F-18 to name a few. (The self-powered GAU 4 used in some applications
is virtually identical). The M61 operates on the
Gatling principle. 6 20MM barrels are mounted on a geared rotor that is driven by a 20-hp electric motor. As the motor turns
the rotor, the cam follower on the bolt of each rotating barrel follows the fixed cam path in the gun housing, opening and closing
the bolt once per revolution. Firing only once per revolution reduces each barrel's rate of fire to below that of most single-barrel
revolver cannon. GE claims that this continuous rotary motion eliminates the impact loads on gun
components and that sharing the
thermal duty cycle among 6 barrels significantly increases barrel life. The use of external power eliminates jamming due to a
misfired round. The M61 is capable of firing up to 6,600 rounds per minute.
You can follow the restoration progress by clicking on the thumbnails below.
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