Chapter 965 Gatling

Yannick was really hesitant about whether to equip the army with the FAL series or the G3 series. After thinking for a while, he simply made the decision. "The G3 series will also be produced." The G3 series is not just the G3 rifle, but a family of guns. Based on the G3 rifle, the HK company in the original time and space expanded a variety of deformed guns including submachine guns, light machine guns, and sniper rifles through partial transformation, making the G3 system one of the most deformed guns in the world.

For example, the MSG90 sniper rifle that German snipers are now equipped with is improved from the PSG-1 sniper rifle. The basic structure of the PSG-1 is the same as that of the G3, but it uses a thickened heavy barrel.

In addition, there is the machine gun type HK21 general-purpose machine gun, whose automatic mode and locking mode are the same as those of the G3 rifle, and 48% of its parts are interchangeable with those of the G3. However, because it is equipped with the MG3 general-purpose machine gun, the conventional German troops in later generations have basically no interest in the HK21. This HK21 is mainly exported, and there are not many equipment in Germany.

The MG3 machine gun has been in service from the 1950s to the 21st century, which is considered long-lived, and Yannick has no intention of replacing it.

However, there is another machine gun that must be developed and produced. "How is the development of Gatling?"

In 1861, the American Civil War broke out. Richard Jordan Gatling, a doctor living in Indiana, often saw wounded soldiers and bodies transported from the front line. The soldiers' painful cries and the alarming casualty rate made the doctor suffer.

So Gatling decided to do something to reduce the casualty rate of soldiers on the battlefield. He liked mechanical design and had an idea: if there is a weapon that only requires a small number of people to operate to achieve the expected powerful firepower, then there will be no need for so many soldiers to go to the battlefield!

After this machine gun was designed, it did achieve the goal of outputting powerful firepower with a small number of soldiers, but the casualties did not decrease. On the contrary, it became a tool for colonial expansion of European countries. When the British army invaded the Zulu Kingdom in 1867, they carried the Gatling machine gun and defeated the Zulu army in just a few hours. Since then, the Gatling gun has become famous and widely used by European armies, easily sweeping away all kinds of resistance.

Until the 1880s and 1890s, with the advent of the Maxim machine gun, some of the defects of the Gatling gun were infinitely magnified. In front of the concise and clear shooting method of the Maxim, the Gatling gun with a shaking handle is like a popcorn popper, which is bulky, complicated, and difficult to control (the shooter must keep a constant speed when shaking the handle. Once it shakes too fast, it will jam. However, in the tense environment of the battlefield, the machine gunner will often kill red eyes and shake the handle frantically). The disadvantages are exposed, and the Gatling gun was squeezed out of the historical stage of war and lost the opportunity to participate in World War I and World War II.

By the end of the 1940s, aviation powers were generally equipped with jet fighters. The speed of fighters was getting faster and faster, and the "shooting window" left for pilots in dogfights was getting narrower and narrower. The accelerated rhythm of air combat made it increasingly difficult for slow large-caliber aircraft guns to adapt, and traditional single-barrel machine guns were difficult to fire enough projectiles to cause damage to enemy aircraft. In order to increase the chances of winning in close-range air combat, the US Air Force launched the "Vulcan Project", and General Electric was responsible for developing an automatic weapon with an ultra-high rate of fire. Using the Gatling principle of a hundred years ago, the M61 "Vulcan" aviation cannon was developed.

Moreover, General Electric solved two technical problems of the Gatling gun. One is power. Using an electric motor as power ensures that the rotation speed of the weapon is consistent and is not affected by human emotions.

In addition to power, there is also the way of feeding bullets. Due to the special structure and high rate of fire of the Gatling gun, it is impossible to use a belt to feed bullets. The original Gatling guns all use magazines, and the bullets move downward by free fall. In air combat, the maneuverability of fighters is very large, and it is impossible to ensure the reliability of feeding bullets by relying on free fall. Therefore, a beltless feeding method was developed.

Gaochao appeared in the 1960s. The US military had a large helicopter force and relied heavily on it to transport personnel and materials. However, during the take-off and landing and hovering stages of helicopters, it is easy to be attacked by guerrilla AK and RPG in the jungle. If ordinary machine guns such as M60 are used to suppress the enemy, the strike effect is not good because the impact points are not dense enough, and long shooting can easily cause the barrel to overheat and jam.

The smaller M134 rotary machine gun just solves the problem of barrel overheating and impact point density, and immediately becomes a "weapon" for anti-guerrilla warfare, earning the nickname of "mini gun". Gatling has also crossed from fighter jets to helicopters and even vehicle-mounted platforms, completely completing the counterattack and forming a huge family. Including 30mm, 25mm, 20mm, 7mm, and multiple calibers, the weapon's rate of fire ranges from 300 rounds per minute to 10,000 rounds per minute, and the number of barrels is 7, 6, 5, 4 and 3. In particular, the 134 "mini gun" machine gun is widely equipped for attack aircraft, helicopters, armed vehicles and ships. .

Hearing Yannick's question, Mauser, the head of Mauser Company responsible for the development of the new Gatling, said respectfully. "Your Highness, the beltless feeding method and drive motor you requested have been developed and can be put into production at any time." With a wave of his hand, the assistants beside him quickly unpacked the boxes they brought and began to assemble them.

Soon, an M134 rotary machine gun was set up in front of the shooting platform.

Seeing Yannick nod, the assistant in charge of the test firing unplugged the motor switch and pressed the fire button.

Buzz!

The motor made a unique sound, and the six dark and slender barrels began to rotate slowly.

The next second, bullets poured out like a violent storm. Even if it was sunny and broad daylight, you could clearly see the tracer bullets connected in a line. A tracer bullet is usually loaded into the machine gun bullet chain every five rounds. However, because the rate of fire is so fast, the light rays composed of the tracer bullets appear to the naked eye to be connected together, like lasers sweeping across.

The target in the distance was instantly shattered into pieces, and the bullet hit the dirt slope behind and splashed half a meter of dust.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz"

Ten seconds later, the test shooter released the button, and the roaring gunfire suddenly stopped. The six barrels were still spinning in the air, making a chilling buzzing sound, until it slowly stopped, and wisps of green smoke came from Six gun barrels curled up.

"What an amazing rate of fire." Yannick couldn't help but exclaimed. "Is this the maximum rate of fire?"

replied little Mauser. "Your Highness, it was three thousand rounds per minute just now, and the maximum rate of fire was six thousand rounds per minute. Do you need to show the maximum rate of fire?"

Yannick shook his head. "No need, this rate of fire is terrifying enough. What is the lifespan of the barrel?"

"A barrel holds about 10,000 rounds."

"..." In other words, the ultimate life span of the six barrels is 60,000 rounds of bullets. According to its maximum rate of fire of 6,000 rounds/minute, regardless of the problem of barrel heating, the barrel will be scrapped after 10 minutes of continuous shooting.

It really takes 13 minutes to reload and 2 hours to change the barrel and reload!