If we have the GE mini gun why don't we use it in Afghanistan?

Answer 1

Dillon Aeron makes awesome miniguns now for defense applications. Their site is: http://www.dillonaero.com/ They also make a kick a$$ girls and miniguns calendar which I picked up at a trade show. Wow.

Their marketing video is here (wicked cool): http://www.dillonaero.com/videos.html

Also an old one on Youtube (Different Soundtrack no sound of gun being fired): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN92dqT55kI

Great video of a Dillon Minigun in action on Monster Garage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PZlN4gUo6U&search=monster+garage+gun

The GE XM214 minigun is primarily used on helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. It is used on some Black Hawks and by Airforce CH-53 Pave Lows as a "Door Gunner" gun. It is used in Fixed pods on the OH-58 Kiowa (great scene of it being used in this capasity in "Black Hawk Down." The AC-130 gunship usually has 2 mounted on the side.

It can be mounted on an M-113 and a HUMVEE, but it is not common. The reason for lack of application on the ground is its success in the air. The high rate of firepower (6,000 rounds per minute) means that it expends ammo at an insane pace. Sustained use in a firefight would result in all stocks of ammo being depleted in mere minutes. If you are talking about using it as a handheld weapon as the Governor of Minnesota used it in Predator, rather than reinvent the wheel, here is a great entry from a web site dealing with airsoft guns that is very appropriate:

"First seen in the movie "Predator" in 1987, the hand-held Minigun has captured the harts and minds of He-Men everywhere, be it in games or in real life. The very image of Jesse Ventura as Blain, spraying bad guys with a veritable hail of bullets that issued forth from his Minigun Painless was so powerful that the weapon has been seen in both countless other movies *and* in games.

Even in real life the idea caught on surprisingly well. Apparently some of America`s Special Forces guys saw Predator and realized that a hand-held Minigun would be a great asset for clearing out landing zones real fast. Having ample acces to the needed equipment, they started experimenting. And ran into some problems.

The first was that the Minigun weighed in at thirty pounds, which was heavy, but carryable. A backpack with a thousand rounds of ammunition and a linkless belt to the Minigun weighed in at another thirtyfive pounds. Backpacks with two thousand rounds weighed in at sixtyfive pounds, and were totally unrealistic in size. Just the gun and the ammo weighed in at sixtyfive pounds.
The second was that in the movie, the power for the Minigun had been supplied by a pair of truck batteries through a cable that simply ran over the ground, and up into the Minigun. Since those batteries weighed some 30 pounds each, it was obvious that only one could be carried by one person (in addition to all the other equipment the soldier was to carry). Thus, the weapon could never be fired at its full rate of fire.

The third problem was that even at "only" a 1000 rpm rate of fire the gun produces about 11 kg of recoil *continuesly*! And this amount of force increases geometrically in proportion to the rate of fire. Firing a large burst would result in the gunner being spun around by his own weapon, and spraying everything around him indiscriminately with bullets. Including his own comrades.....

After some experimenting it was thus realized that the gun would simply be too heavy and cumbersome to be ever used in real life combat, and the concept was abandoned. No army in the world has a hand-held Minigun in its arsenal."

Answer 2

This gun is in use in afghanistan it's mounted on various helo's and has been in service since vietnam. We also use it's much bigger brothers 20mm,25mm and 30mm gatling guns in various vehicles all are in use in afghanistan. the 20mm in fighters, the 25mm in the AC-130 gunship the 30mm in the A-10 warthog. 7.62mm mini gun is used on the huey and some UH-60's. Unlike the movie predator I don't think anybody carries it around like some glorified street sweeper.

Answer 3

I'd prefer my 25MM with HE rounds. Yeah its has a nice reate of fire. But the 25MM has a much larger AOE and like hand grenades dosen't have to be very acurate.

Answer 4

we do but the current mission in Afghanistan is OEF operation enduring freedom

Answer 5

aw some power 6000 round P/M can plow Fields and they are used on AH 64 and chain guns

Answer 6

We might be using something a little better?

Answer 7

they probably do but maybe only "certian" soldiers are allowed to use it

Answer 8

We have it and use it every chance we get .

Answer 9

We do

Answer 10

why do you want people to die?