The GECAL 50, officially designated by the United States military as the GAU-19/A, is an electrically-driven Gatling gun that fires the .50 BMG (12.7x99mm) cartridge. Due to its weight and size, it is not a field-portable weapons system, but it is often installed on helicopters, ground vehicles, and water vessels.
The GAU-19/A is designed for 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 HMMWV armament kit version fires at 1,300 rounds per minute. The average recoil force when firing is 500 lbs.
The GECAL 50 was first manufactured by General Electric, then by Lockheed-Martin, and now by General Dynamics. Earlier versions had six barrels, but three barrels is now standard.
The GAU-19/A is currently in use on many American military vehicles such as the Humvee and the MH-6 Little Bird. It also formed the basis of a chin turret for the V-22 Osprey. The magazine would be located underneath the cabin floor and could be reloaded in-flight. However, the project has been canceled. In 1999, the United States sent 28 GAU-19s to Colombia. Oman is known to use the GAU-19/A mounted on their HMMWVs. In 2005, the GAU-19/A was approved to be mounted on the OH-58D Kiowa helicopter.
Weapontype: Rotary barrel machine gun, 3-barrel or 6-barrel
Manufacturer: General Electric, then by Lockheed-Martin, and now by General Dynamics.
Operation: Eletric
Cartridge: .50 BMG (12,7 x 99 mm)
Weight: With feeder and transfer unit:139 lbs. (63 kg)
