F-35B Gun Test 06JUL16

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by neptune » 28 Jul 2016, 19:39

http://www.businessinsider.com/video-f-35b-tests-gun-pod-first-time-2016-7

Watch the Marine's F-35 fire a 80-round burst from its gun pod for the first time

Alex Lockie

Jul. 28, 2016

On July 6th, at the Naval Air Station at Patuxent River, Maryland, US Marines carried out the first successful test of the F-35B's GAU-22 gun pod, Business Insider has confirmed. Later, on the 11th, the gun pod fired it's first 80 round burst. Both tests were resoundingly successful, and the video is posted below.

https://gfycat.com/FlickeringWeeAyeaye

Business Insider previously reported on the first test of the F-35A's integrated gun, but the gun pod, which will be used on the F-35B and C variants, is an entirely different animal. Instead of the integrated design of the Air Force's F-35A, the Marine Corps' F-35B and the Navy's F-35C will feature a 220 round, 25 mm gun in a modular pod. This means that the Navy and Marine variants, which launch from aircraft carriers or amphibious assault vessels, will have the option of excluding the gun to save weight and increase fuel efficiency.

While the F-35 has fielded some criticism for its gun, which at 55 rounds per second can empty its entire magazine in under four seconds, the gun actually makes sense for the type of close air support environment the F-35 is expected to operate in. The much loved A-10 Warthog, which holds 1,350 rounds, is ideal for flying low and slow, loitering in the sky, and delivering their precise fire to provide close air support. However, this only makes sense in an uncontested air space.
The F-35's smaller magazine capacity reflect the future of close air support as military planners envision it. The F-35 will usher in an era of quick, and precise strikes that leverage a suite of sensors, electronic warfare capabilities, and stealth.

:)


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by KamenRiderBlade » 29 Jul 2016, 08:11

I love the precision of that gun.

Would a 4 round burst be enough to take out most light armored vehicles in one hit assuming most if not all rounds it the vehicle center mass?


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by krorvik » 29 Jul 2016, 13:18

What was the distance to target? At close range, it's much easier to achieve precision. But yeah, cool to watch small holes being punched :)


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by Dragon029 » 29 Jul 2016, 15:37

I've been looking at the footage, trying to get some grouping data at least from the closer of the targets. The low resolution means it's practically impossible to get actually useful data, but it is interesting nonetheless to analyse:

(Image is hyperlinked if you want to view it in a slightly larger resolution)
Image

Essentially what I've done in that image is looked at some ground references to get an idea of how far away the first target is, I also tried to see if any of the target sheet annotations were readable. Based on my rough estimate, the first target looks 20-30 yards away from the gun. I think I see a "(20 [unintelligable])" on the first target (second line of text at the end), which could perhaps say 20 meters or 20 yards, but its equally (or more) likely I'm wrong. The grids on the targets are divided into 10x10 squares. That would likely indicate square centimetres, but the holes that the rounds put in the paper do look about 1 unit in diameter. That could mean nothing (the lighting could be obscuring the full size of the hole), or it might mean that the grid units are inches.

Anyway, working off 20-30 yards and my very rough grouping estimates for what I see as 80% of the rounds, I get anywhere between about 3 and 8 milliradians. So in other words, it's operating anywhere from a little bit better than spec (5 milliradians) to a little bit worse than spec. :doh:

Maybe one of you will see something that I don't.


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by Dragon029 » 05 Mar 2017, 16:48



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by Corsair1963 » 06 Mar 2017, 10:24

Haven heard anything recently about the Nammo Apex round for the GAU-22. Is the US still planning on using it???


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by mixelflick » 06 Mar 2017, 16:30

However, this only makes sense in an uncontested air space...

So I take this to mean the gun pod isn't stealthy??


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by bigjku » 06 Mar 2017, 18:09

mixelflick wrote:However, this only makes sense in an uncontested air space...

So I take this to mean the gun pod isn't stealthy??


I interpreted it as a statement that using a gun on the A-10 or F-35 for close air support only makes sense in unopposed air space. I am not sure stealth much matters at the range at which a gun can work.


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by Dragon029 » 06 Mar 2017, 21:48

The pod is stealthy to some degree; it's surfaces are aligned with the F-35's, the intakes and exhausts are meshes much smaller than the X-band wavelength, etc. I'm not sure how they handle the muzzle though.

Remember, the F-35 is meant to be able to provide CAS in contested airspace; the USMC have been practising this sort of stuff for the past couple of years with success.


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by gideonic » 06 Mar 2017, 22:35

Corsair1963 wrote:Haven heard anything recently about the Nammo Apex round for the GAU-22. Is the US still planning on using it???

Not sure about Nammo, but here is a fresh news article from today:

http://defence-blog.com/news/rheinmetal ... ghter.html
German defence and automotive group Rheinmetall said on Monday it had booked a $6.5 million U.S. Air Force contract to supply ammunition for the F-35 multi-role fighter, adding that further orders were likely to follow.
...
The FAP round was specifically developed by Rheinmetall for, and in conjunction with, NATO air forces to provide the F-35 with superior lethality against modern Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) at extreme slant ranges while still remaining deadly against enemy aircraft in air-to-air engagements. The 25mm x 137 FAP is a true all-purpose cartridge that is already in service with the F-35s of two NATO nations.


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by wrightwing » 06 Mar 2017, 22:42

mixelflick wrote:However, this only makes sense in an uncontested air space...

So I take this to mean the gun pod isn't stealthy??

That comment was referring to the A-10. The gun pod is stealthy.


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by steve2267 » 07 Mar 2017, 00:42

Corsair1963 wrote:Haven heard anything recently about the Nammo Apex round for the GAU-22. Is the US still planning on using it???


Interesting news bit regarding the FAP round above. I have no knowledge about it.

Last I had learned from a lot of oogling, was the Nammo round appeared set to be purchased by foreign F-35 partners and Orbital ATK manufactured rounds (PGU-32/U SAPHEI-T) were going to be procured by the US. News of the Rheinmetal FAP round purchase leaves me scratching my head.
Take an F-16, stir in A-7, dollop of F-117, gob of F-22, dash of F/A-18, sprinkle with AV-8B, stir well + bake. Whaddya get? F-35.


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by steve2267 » 07 Mar 2017, 01:20

Everything I had "discovered" regarding 25mm ammunition for the GAU-22A is in the first post of this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=52628

it includes two PDF downloads concerning the NAMMO (PGU-47/U) and SAPHEI-T (PGU-32/U) ammunition.
Take an F-16, stir in A-7, dollop of F-117, gob of F-22, dash of F/A-18, sprinkle with AV-8B, stir well + bake. Whaddya get? F-35.


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by spazsinbad » 07 Mar 2017, 01:29

Here are old posts about Rheinmetall FAP : viewtopic.php?f=54&t=20599&p=235151&hilit=Rheinmetall#p235151 & viewtopic.php?f=54&t=20599&p=235118&hilit=Rheinmetall#p235118 [excerpt below]
Air Force orders armor piercing ammunition for F-35 test firings
12 Nov 2012 Keith Stein

"The U.S. Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. anticipates awarding a sole source Firm Fixed Price contract to Rheinmetall AG in Zurich, Switzerland for Frangible Armor Piercing (FAP) ammunition to be tested aboard the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter...."

Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/air-for ... st-firings


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by steve2267 » 07 Mar 2017, 01:44

There is also this 24 page PDF about the Rheinmetal FAP round available as a download from this forum (found via oogle):

download/file.php?id=24142

FAP round for the F-35 starts on page 16.

That is probably found in one of the two threads Spaz notes above.
Take an F-16, stir in A-7, dollop of F-117, gob of F-22, dash of F/A-18, sprinkle with AV-8B, stir well + bake. Whaddya get? F-35.


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