US officials announced that the GAU-22/A cannon on the F-35A fighter jet has been improved after years of fixing hardware and software problems.
"After working with the US Air Force and our partners in the defense industry, we can say that the GAU-22/A gun has been improved and is effective. We will continue to refine it to maximize its effectiveness," Russ Goemaere, a spokesman for the Pentagon's F-35 Program Office (JPO), said last weekend.
The GAU-22/A rotary gun is designed for the F-35 to destroy targets at close range, which is not considered a combat advantage of this stealth fighter. The GAU-22/A has a rate of fire of up to 3,300 rounds per minute, with a muzzle velocity of about one kilometer per second.
Ground testing of the F-35A's GAU-22/A cannon in 2015. Video: Lockheed Martin
The F-35A is the only version that mounts the GAU-22/A cannon in the fuselage to ensure stealth, the muzzle cover only opens when firing and immediately closes when the cannon stops firing. The cannon is equipped with 180 rounds of ammunition, enough to fire continuously for 3 seconds.
Meanwhile, the F-35B/C line must use a separate gun mount mounted under the belly, affecting the aircraft's aerodynamic properties and stealth capabilities, but can carry 220 rounds of ammunition.
The GAU-22/A gun appeared on the first F-35s to roll off the production line, but it only became available in the mid-2010s with the Block 3F software upgrade. Test firings in 2016 revealed a number of issues with the helmet-mounted display, including icons obscuring the target and an unstable aiming line.
A series of software updates have addressed this issue. However, the JPO in 2020 found that the F-35A’s internal gun mount was misaligned, causing the GAU-22/A’s accuracy to be rated as “unacceptable” and firings to crack the fuselage near the gun muzzle.
It is unclear whether these issues have been fully addressed. A series of hull cracks involving the GAU-22/A cannon on the F-35A have been reported in recent years, but they do not appear to affect the accuracy of the cannon.
The US F-35A fighter first test-fired the GAU-22/A cannon in flight in 2015. Photo: JPO
Lockheed Martin began developing the F-35 fighter in 1995, with the F-35A variant first flying in 2006. The $1.5 trillion project is one of the most expensive weapons programs in US history, but has encountered a series of technical problems and failures.
The Pentagon approved full-capacity production in mid-March, marking the end of a 17-year testing phase for the aircraft.
The F-35A is a stealth fighter version developed for the US Air Force and allied countries. This is the smallest and lightest variant in the F-35 series, with much higher maneuverability than the F-35B for the Marine Corps and F-35C for the Navy. Each F-35A has a factory price of about 80-90 million USD, depending on the production batch, not including weapons and accessories.
Vu Anh (According to War Zone )
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