GAU-8 Avenger
The GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm, seven-barrel Gatling gun that is mounted exclusively on the United States Air Force's A-10 Thunderbolt II. It is the largest, heaviest and most powerful aircraft gun in the United States military. Developed specifically to be a "tank buster", the gun can deliver a rate of fire of an astonishing 3,900 shots per minute.The gun usually fires a mix of ammunition: utilizing four High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) rounds followed by a Armor Piercing Incendiary (API) round. However, the GAU-8 is also capable of firing rounds made from depleted uranium.
Developed as part of the A-10 program by Fairchild Republic, both the aircraft and the gun entered service in 1977. The gun is no longer in production.
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