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84-645: The alternate mounting for the weapon was on a trailer, designated T248 Vigilante A By the early 1960s, the US Army declared that gun-based systems were outdated, and canceled further development in favor of the MIM-46 Mauler missile system that also failed to enter service. In the end the M163 , a M61 Vulcan mounted on an M113, was used. The designer, the Sperry Utah Engineering Laboratory, later revived

168-768: A Pennsylvania National Guard unit from Philadelphia to use against strikers in Pittsburgh . Gatling guns were famously not used at the Battle of the Little Bighorn , also known as "Custer's Last Stand", when Gen. George Armstrong Custer chose not to bring Gatling guns with his main force. In April 1867, a Gatling gun was purchased for the Argentine Army by minister Domingo F. Sarmiento under instructions from president Bartolomé Mitre . Captain Luis Germán Astete of

252-605: A Gatling gun against the Ibadan during the early 1880s. In 1882 the Bonny used a Gatling gun during an attack on New Calabar. By 1880 Siam had imported an unknown number of Gatlings. By 1885 the kingdom had a Gatling Gun regiment of 600 men; those weapons were possibly used in the Haw Wars . They were also seen among Prince Bigit's escort in 1886. The Korean Empire possessed a number of Gatlings. Six had been imported in 1884, by 1891 it had

336-544: A battery of fourteen guns and in 1894 the army's two American drilled regiments had as many as 40 Gatlings and practiced regularly (Supposedly because the noise pleased Emperor Gojong ). Some of them were deployed to defend the approaches of the capital during the Donghak Rebellion , but there is no evidence they saw combat. Lieutenant Arthur L. Howard of the Connecticut National Guard had an interest in

420-501: A blast-fragmentation warhead, deciding that the continuous-rod warhead would be less effective. For mobility, the system would be based on the M113, the Army's latest APC and one of the more advanced vehicles in the inventory. The modifications needed to support a missile system were relatively simple, and the crew area inside the chassis offered room for the needed equipment. The resulting vehicle

504-683: A few ''camel'' guns were purchased, these were smaller and used a tripod instead of the carriage. During the Siege of Khartoum an Egyptian Gatling gun aided by a telescope was able to target Sudanese artillery crews from a distance of 2,000 yards. Gatling guns were imported by some states in Nigeria. They were used during the Kalabari Civil war of 1879–83, the Abbi House bought one from King Jaja of Opobo and it may have been used in canoe warfare. The Ijesha used

588-473: A kilometer during those 5 seconds. By the time a radar-assisted sighting system could develop a firing solution , the target would be out of range. The Army decided to cancel Vigilante and keep the Duster in service until a much more capable phase III all-missile system arrived to replace it. Phase III was intended to produce an ultimate answer to air defense of front line Army troops. A small mobile missile system

672-623: A loss of confidence. The program was cancelled in July 1965 after six years of delays. By this point there were serious doubts that the system would be entering service any time soon. On 16 September 1963 the Army Materiel Command asked the Aviation and Missile Command to study adapting the Navy's AIM-9 Sidewinder missile as the basis of a short-range anti-aircraft system. Their analysis suggested that

756-550: A low priority while the Mauler program progressed. On its cancellation, Sightline was given full development funds, and entered service in 1971 as Rapier with a tracked mobile version following in 1981. The US Navy was in a somewhat more troubling position. In addition to their need to replace guns and existing missile systems like the RIM-24 Tartar , they were also looking to replace short-range gun systems on their older ships. Mauler

840-705: A modified Gatling gun circa 1888 known as the Accles Machine Gun. Circa 1895 the American Ordnance Company acquired the rights to manufacture and distribute this weapon in the Americas. It was trialed by the US Navy in December 1895, and was said to be the only weapon to complete the trial out of five competing weapons, but was apparently not adopted by US forces. The Gatling gun was first used in warfare during

924-648: A multi-layer system consisting of an adapted Sidewinder as a missile component known as the MIM-72 Chaparral , a short-range gun component using the M61 Vulcan known as the M163 VADS , and the separate AN/MPQ-49 Forward Area Alerting Radar that would support both by sending digital information to displays in those platforms. All of these would be further supported by the FIM-43 Redeye shoulder-launched missile. Although

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1008-630: A new system. The result was the Oerlikon Contraves -designed ADATS , which is very similar to the original Mauler in form, function and even the launch platform, an adapted M113. ADATS is somewhat more capable than Mauler, however, with ranges up to 10 km and higher missile speeds. However, the ending of the Cold War led the Army to cancel their ADATS purchase, leaving the Chaparral/Vulcan combination in service even longer. The anti-aircraft role

1092-471: A percussion cap because self-contained brass cartridges were not yet fully developed and available. The shells were gravity-fed into the breech through a hopper or simple box "magazine" with an unsprung gravity follower on top of the gun. Each barrel had its own firing mechanism. Despite self-contained brass cartridges replacing the paper cartridge in the 1860s, it wasn't until the Model 1881 that Gatling switched to

1176-411: A set position (usually at 4 o'clock ), then ejects the spent casing out of the left side at the bottom, after which the barrel is empty and allowed to cool until rotated back to the top position and gravity-fed another new round. This configuration eliminated the need for a single reciprocating bolt design and allowed higher rates of fire to be achieved without the barrels overheating quickly. One of

1260-407: A solid plate revolving around a central shaft, mounted on an oblong fixed frame. Turning the crank rotated the shaft. The carrier was grooved and the lock cylinder was drilled with holes corresponding to the barrels. The casing was partitioned, and through this opening, the barrel shaft was journaled . In front of the casing was a cam with spiral surfaces. The cam imparted a reciprocating motion to

1344-511: A suitable system. As the infrared-guided Sidewinder would be of limited use against aircraft or missiles approaching head-on, they were forced to use the AIM-7 Sparrow instead. Although the Sparrow was a capable missile, it was intended for launch from high-speed aircraft and thus had relatively low acceleration, trading this for longer cruising time and range. An entirely new motor was developed for

1428-607: A variety of problems, including failures of the rocket casings, and excessive drag and wing flutter. A competing system with the British and potentially other NATO states was the PT.428 which eventually developed successfully into the Rapier missile . The first "Guidance Test Vehicle", essentially the service prototypes, started firing in June 1963. These also demonstrated an array of problems, most worrying

1512-413: Is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor -driven rotary cannon . The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyclic multi-barrel design which facilitated cooling and synchronized the firing-reloading sequence. As the handwheel is cranked, the barrels rotate, and each barrel sequentially loads a single cartridge from a top-mounted magazine , fires off the shot when it reaches

1596-797: The 6mm Lee Navy round, which they employed to defeat the Spanish infantry at the battle of Cuzco Wells . Gatling guns were used by the U.S. Army during the Philippine–American War . One such instance was during the Battle of San Jacinto (1899) ( Spanish : Batalla de San Jacinto ) which was fought on November 11, 1899, in San Jacinto in the Philippines , between Philippine Republican Army soldiers and American troops. The Gatling's weight and artillery carriage hindered its ability to keep up with American troops over uneven terrain, particularly in

1680-610: The American Civil War . Twelve of the guns were purchased personally by Union commanders and used in the trenches during the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia (June 1864—April 1865). Eight other Gatling guns were fitted on gunboats. The gun was not accepted by the American Army until 1866 when a sales representative of the manufacturing company demonstrated it in combat. On July 17, 1863, Gatling guns were purportedly used to overawe New York anti-draft rioters . Two were brought by

1764-468: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, specifically in Pittsburgh . Gatling guns were also mounted aboard ships. The Gatling gun is operated by a hand-crank mechanism, with six barrels revolving around a central shaft (although some models had as many as ten). Each barrel fires once per revolution at about the same position. The barrels, a carrier, and a lock cylinder were separate and all mounted on

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1848-573: The M42 Duster . First entering production in 1952, the Duster quickly became outdated as aircraft performance increased. Since manual acquisition, tracking and ranging left much to be desired RADUSTER envisioned adding radar ranging to the Duster. By 1955 it was realized that no simple modification to the M42 Duster would meet the need. Thus in 1956 the plan was to improve the T50 antiaircraft fire control system to

1932-771: The Peruvian Navy took with him dozens of Gatling guns from the United States to Peru in December 1879 during the Peru-Chile War of the Pacific . Gatling guns were used by the Peruvian Navy and Army, especially in the Battle of Tacna (May 1880) and the Battle of San Juan (January 1881) against the invading Chilean Army. In 1888 the SS Ozama smuggled a number of Gatling guns into Haiti In 1907 Gatling guns were used by Nicaragua in

2016-491: The mitrailleuse, which required manual reloading, the Gatling gun was more reliable and easier to operate and had a lower, but continuous rate of fire. The large wheels required to move these guns around required a high firing position, which increased the vulnerability of their crews. Sustained firing of black powder cartridges generated a cloud of smoke, making concealment impossible until smokeless powder became available in

2100-411: The 'Bruce'-style feed system (U.S. Patents 247,158 and 343,532) that accepted two rows of .45-70 cartridges. While one row was being fed into the gun, the other could be reloaded, thus allowing sustained fire. The final gun required four operators. By 1886, the gun was capable of firing more than 400 rounds per minute. The smallest-caliber gun also had a Broadwell drum feed in place of the curved box of

2184-492: The 1860s and 1870s, and field cannons firing canister shot , much like an upsized shotgun . The latter was widely used during and after the Napoleonic Wars . Although the maximum rate of fire was increased by firing multiple projectiles simultaneously, these weapons still needed to be reloaded after each discharge, which for multi-barrel systems like the mitrailleuse was cumbersome and time-consuming. This negated much of

2268-582: The Gatling gun in 1873-74 during the Anglo-Ashanti wars , and extensively during the last actions of the 1879 Anglo-Zulu war . The Royal Navy used Gatling guns during the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War . Gatling guns were used by Egyptian forces both on sea and land, and saw combat in Sudan and Abyssinia. Isma'il Pasha ordered 120 Colt 1865 six-barrel Gatling guns; after being convinced by Shahine Pasha who witnessed Gatling gun trials at Shoeburyness in 1866. In 1872

2352-449: The Gatling was adapted to take the new .30 Army smokeless cartridge. The new M1893 guns featured six barrels, later increased to ten barrels, and were capable of a maximum (initial) rate of fire of 800–900 rounds per minute, though 600 rpm was recommended for continuous fire. Dr. Gatling later used examples of the M1893 powered by electric motor and belt to drive the crank. Tests demonstrated

2436-551: The Mauler ran into intractable problems during development, and was eventually canceled in November 1965. Cancellation of Mauler left the US Army with no modern anti-aircraft weapon , and they rushed development of the much simpler MIM-72 Chaparral and M163 Tracked Vulcan to fill this niche. These weapons were much less capable than Mauler, and were intended solely as a stop-gap solution until more capable vehicles were developed. In spite of this, no real replacement entered service until

2520-461: The Navy, Marine Corps or NATO) or that development be stretched out by up to two years. By 1963 funding shortfalls resulted in dependence upon unorthodox methods to keep the program going. Production plans had to be adjusted in 1963 which presented a problem as the M42 Duster system had been retired. Achievement of an operational Mauler capability was out of the question. The Performance Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT) originally devised for

2604-512: The Philippines, where outside the cities there were heavily foliaged forests and steep mountain paths. After the Gatling gun was replaced in service by newer recoil or gas-operated weapons, the approach of using multiple externally powered rotating barrels fell into disuse for many decades. However, some examples were developed during the interwar years, but only existed as prototypes or were rarely used. The concept resurfaced after World War II with

T249 Vigilante - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-540: The Polaris system in 1958 was introduced into the Mauler effort in 1962–63. Cagle described the contractor's reaction to PERT as "somewhat less than enthusiastic". In spring 1964 another management revision was introduced and the Mauler Program Management Charter was established. A Feasibility Validation Program had been established in 1963 which was to determine if Mauler could be successfully developed in

2772-531: The RADUSTER. One development RADUSTER and three user test weapons were created before termination. Driven by the need to counter jet aircraft flying at up to 10,000 ft (3,000 m) and a slant range of 14,000 ft (4,300 m), the new system of a 37 mm Gatling gun on top of a modified M113 Armored Personnel Carrier chassis was approved as the T249 Vigilante in late 1956. A T248 towed version

2856-638: The Vigilante, rechambering it for NATO -standard 35×228mm rounds and mounting it on a M48 Patton tank chassis for the Division Air Defense (DIVAD) contest. However, it ultimately lost to Ford's M247 Sergeant York (twin 40mm Bofors) that also failed to enter service. Very little information exists of the T249 Vigilante and its T250 cannon. The conceptual design for the T250 cannon was initiated in 1956. While

2940-478: The XM546 "Tracked Fire Unit" on a rotating platform that allowed the missiles to be pointed toward the target. Before launch the protective cover over the missile's canister was popped off to allow the infrared seeker to see the target, and then it was launched into the illuminating radar's beam. Raytheon provided both the search and illumination radars, while Burroughs provided the fire control system. The missile itself

3024-460: The advantage of their high rate of fire per discharge, making them much less powerful on the battlefield. In comparison, the Gatling gun offered a rapid and continuous rate of fire without having to be manually reloaded by opening the breech. Early multi-barrel guns were approximately the size and weight of artillery pieces and were often perceived as a replacement for cannons firing grapeshot or canister shot. Compared with earlier weapons such as

3108-400: The barrels rotated, these steel cylinders dropped into place, were fired, and were then ejected from the gun. The innovative features of the Gatling gun were its independent firing mechanism for each barrel and the simultaneous action of the locks, barrels, carrier, and breech . The ammunition that Gatling eventually implemented was a paper cartridge charged with black powder and primed with

3192-416: The battle of Namasique, largely manned by American mercenaries Gatling guns were kept in store by coal companies and used during the Battle of Blair Mountain ; In September 1 a group of miners looted one of these guns and assaulted a spot called Craddock Fork. Opposing forces fought back with a machine gun, but after three hours of heavy fire, their weapon jammed. The miners surged forward and briefly broke

3276-642: The best-known early rapid-fire firearms , the Gatling gun saw occasional use by the U.S. forces during the American Civil War , which was the first time it was employed in combat. It was later used in numerous military conflicts, including the Boshin War , the Anglo-Zulu War , and the assault on San Juan Hill during the Spanish–American War . It was also used by the Pennsylvania militia in episodes of

3360-581: The company manufacturing Gatling guns and took a personally owned Gatling gun to the District of Saskatchewan , Canada, in 1885 for use with the Canadian military against Métis and First Nations rebels during Louis Riel 's North-West Rebellion . Because of infighting within army ordnance, Gatling guns were used by the U.S. Army during the Spanish–American War . A four-gun battery of Model 1895 ten-barrel Gatling guns in .30 Army , made by Colt's Arms Company ,

3444-554: The conversion would be simple, but the missile's long lock-on time and optical guidance would make it ineffective in close combat. Based on this potential solution to the air defense problem, the Army Staff, supported by the Army Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss, started a new study under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Edward Hirsch. Known as the "Interim Field Army Air Defense Study", it called for

T249 Vigilante - Misplaced Pages Continue

3528-469: The crest of both hills, causing significant casualties. Despite this successful deployment, the Gatling's weight and cumbersome artillery carriage hindered its ability to keep up with infantry forces over difficult ground, particularly in Cuba, where roads were often little more than jungle footpaths. By this time, the U.S. Marines had been issued the modern tripod-mounted M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun using

3612-592: The defensive line, but were repulsed by another machine gun nest located further up the ridge. The Gatling gun was used most successfully to expand European colonial empires by defeating indigenous warriors mounting massed attacks, including the Zulu , the Bedouin , and the Mahdists . Imperial Russia purchased 400 Gatling guns and used them against Turkmen cavalry and other nomads of central Asia. The British Army first deployed

3696-429: The design of cannon of this caliber would ordinarily be handled by Watervliet Arsenal , it was decided that Springfield Armory would take responsibility due to their previous development experience with smaller caliber rotary cannon such the 20mm T171 . The T250 was the largest Gatling gun ever assembled. Its 37×219mmSR round was based upon a shortened and necked-down 40×311mmR Bofors cartridge case. Hydraulically powered,

3780-616: The electric Gatling could fire bursts of up to 1,500 rpm. The M1893, with minor revisions, became the M1895, and 94 guns were produced for the U.S. Army by Colt. Four M1895 Gatlings under Lt. John H. Parker saw considerable combat during the Santiago campaign in Cuba in 1898. The M1895 was designed to accept only the Bruce feeder. All previous models were unpainted, but the M1895 was painted olive drab green, with some parts left blued . The Model 1900

3864-454: The entire program was cancelled outright in November 1965. Chaparral adapted the Mauler's IR seeker, which was greatly improved over the versions in the original AIM-9C. The Chaparral/Vulcan combination was always intended to be a stop-gap solution while a more powerful system evolved. However, in the 1970s the threat was perceived to change from tactical aircraft to missile-firing helicopters that would "pop-up" from behind cover. This suggested

3948-573: The ground. Since the guidance signal is received at the rear of the missile body, the signal would remain clear as long as there were no obstructions between the missile and launcher. It was only the launch platform that had to have the ability to distinguish targets from ground clutter, not the missile. FAAD used a continuous wave radar , which uses the Doppler shift of the moving targets to locate them against any sort of background. For terminal guidance, FAAD used an advanced infrared homing system. Given

4032-420: The gun was able to vary between 120 rpm for (especially stationary) ground targets and 3,000 rpm for air targets. It had a 192-round drum magazine , which in the maximum 3,000 rpm mode would have equated to approximately 4 seconds of fire. When Springfield engineers finished their work in 1962, the design was handed over to Watervliet for production. The Sperry Utah Engineering Laboratory was selected to handle

4116-405: The hole left by the Mauler evolved into a system of even greater capability. The General Dynamics Mauler system used a large A-frame mounted on the top of the vehicle that contained a phased array continuous wave search radar at the top, the smaller tracking/illumination radar on one side, and a large box containing nine missiles between the "legs". The entire system was mounted at the back of

4200-883: The integration of the T250 gun with the modified M113 chassis to create the T249. One T249 Vigilante is currently displayed at the Air Defense Artillery Training Support Facility, at Ft. Sill, OK. This example was previously located at the US Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen, MD. A T250 rotary cannon is also on display next to the T249 as of July 2023. A T250 rotary cannon is on display in Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung in Koblenz, Germany. MIM-46 Mauler The General Dynamics Mauler

4284-421: The late 1990s. Both the US Navy and British Army were also expecting Mauler to fulfil their own short-range needs and its cancellation left them with the same problem. They developed RIM-7 Sea Sparrow and Rapier missile , respectively, to fill these needs. After WWII, the US Army's first mobile anti-aircraft weapons were based on the Bofors 40 mm guns with first the M19 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage then

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4368-407: The late 19th century. When operators were firing Gatling guns against troops of industrialized nations, they were at risk, being vulnerable to artillery they could not reach and snipers they could not see. The Gatling gun was designed by the American inventor Richard J. Gatling in 1861 and patented on November 4, 1862. Gatling wrote that he created it to reduce the size of armies and so reduce

4452-402: The locks when the gun rotated. Also in the casing was a cocking ring with projections to cock and fire the gun. Each barrel had a single lock, working in the lock cylinder on a line with the barrel. The lock cylinder was encased and joined to the frame. Early models had a fibrous matting stuffed in among the barrels, which could be soaked with water to cool the barrels down. Later models eliminated

4536-414: The matting jacketing as being unnecessary. Cartridges, held in a hopper, dropped individually into the grooves of the carrier. The lock was simultaneously forced by the cam to move forward and load the cartridge, and when the cam was at its highest point, the cocking ring freed the lock and fired the cartridge. After the cartridge was fired the continuing action of the cam drew back the lock bringing with it

4620-411: The missile body, it was common for seekers of the era to be easily confused by reflections from trees, buildings or the ground. It was difficult for the missile to distinguish the target in a cluttered environment. For FAAD, they decided to use a beam riding guidance system . This had been used in early missiles like the RIM-2 Terrier , but had been abandoned in favor of semi-active systems for all of

4704-433: The new RIM-7 Sea Sparrow . To guide it, a new manually controlled radar illuminator was developed, guided by an aimer standing between two large radar dishes that looked somewhat like searchlights . The ship's search radars would send target information via voice channels to the operator, who would slew the illuminators onto the target and launch the missiles. The missiles were held in a large eight-cell rotating launcher that

4788-432: The number of deaths by combat and disease. The US Army adopted Gatling guns in several calibers, including .42 caliber, .45-70 , .50 caliber, 1 inch, and (M1893 and later) .30 Army , with conversions of M1900 weapons to .30-03 and .30-06 . The .45-70 weapon was also mounted on some US Navy ships of the 1880s and 1890s. British manufacturer James George Accles, previously employed by Colt 1867–1886, developed

4872-512: The other guns. The drum, named after L. W. Broadwell , an agent for Gatling's company, comprised twenty stacks of rounds arranged around a central axis, like the spokes of a wheel, each holding twenty cartridges with the bullet noses oriented toward the central axis. This invention was patented in U. S. 110,338. As each stack emptied, the drum was manually rotated to bring a new stack into use until all 400 rounds had been fired. A more common variant had 240 rounds in twenty stands of fifteen. By 1893,

4956-424: The quick engagement times, on the order of seconds, the Army decided that FAAD had to have semi-automatic actions. In combat, the operators would select targets on a long-range search radar and then simply say "go" to attack them. The system's fire control computer would slew the weapons and fire automatically as soon as they came in range. After running Monte Carlo simulations on an IBM 650 , they decided to use

5040-408: The radar illuminator system. This was again upgraded to allow the phased-array radars of modern ships to guide the Sparrow directly, removing the need for the relatively large illuminators. The evolution continued with the latest models, which can be vertically launched from four-cell containers, greatly expanding the number that can be carried on most ships. What started as a quick-and-dirty solution to

5124-427: The reasons above. In particular, in the case of beam-riding the signal is shaped like a cone centered on the broadcaster, which means it becomes increasingly inaccurate as the missile flies towards the target. Some sort of secondary terminal guidance system was almost always needed with beam-riding weapons. In spite of these disadvantages, beam-riding offered FAAD the ability to guide the missiles in close proximity to

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5208-416: The requirements for a missile-based system in 1959. Guidance was a major area of concern. Most anti-aircraft missiles of the era used semi-active radar homing , with an "illumination radar" on the ground that reflected signals off the target that were picked up by a small receiver in the missile's nose. This system had the advantage that the radar signal continued to grow in strength as the missile approached

5292-413: The resulting composite system would not be nearly as capable as Mauler, it could be in service much sooner and provide some cover while a more capable system developed. In November 1963 Mauler was re-directed as a pure technology demonstration program. Several modified versions using simpler systems were proposed, but even these would not have entered service before 1969. Tests with the GTVs continued until

5376-413: The sea. Additionally, its fast-acting semi-automatic fire control was highly desired for a weapon that was expected to counter targets with engagement times under a minute. Expecting its arrival, the Navy's latest destroyer escorts , the Knox class , were built with space reserved for the Sea Mauler launchers when they arrived. Development was complicated by the diversity of platforms the Mauler system

5460-401: The spent casing which then dropped to the ground. The grouped barrel concept had been explored by inventors since the 18th century, but poor engineering and the lack of a unitary cartridge made previous designs unsuccessful. The initial Gatling gun design used self-contained, reloadable steel cylinders with a chamber holding a ball and black-powder charge, and a percussion cap on one end. As

5544-404: The target, making it increasingly easy to track. More importantly, the reflected signal was a cone shape centered on the target, so guidance became increasingly accurate as the missile approached. On the downside, the SARH concept also meant that any other reflections could confuse the missile's seeker. Since SARH relied on making the seeker in the missile as simple as possible in order to fit into

5628-401: The time available and at reasonable cost. It was determined that Mauler could engage jets and piston aircraft though at a lesser than desirable range but helicopters were an elusive target. It was apparent by early 1965 that the Mauler program would be unsuccessful. Inadequate funding, a lack of guidance from higher headquarters, changes in requirements, and unsolved technical problems led to

5712-420: The use of a fast-acting gun system, albeit one with much longer range than the Vulcan's 1,200 m. Out of these studies came the "Division Air Defense" concept that was eventually filled by the M247 Sergeant York . This program ran into serious technical problems of its own, and was eventually cancelled in 1985. After the Sergeant York was cancelled, the Army joined forces with the Canadian Forces to develop

5796-410: The use of multiple barrels to limit overheating, a rotating mechanism, and a gravity-feed reloading system, which allowed unskilled operators to achieve a relatively high rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute. Although the first Gatling gun was capable of firing continuously, it required a person to crank it; therefore it was not a true automatic weapon . The Maxim gun , invented and patented in 1883,

5880-425: Was "built-in" not only to their latest ship designs, like the Knox, but formed the basis for their entire anti-aircraft concept for the 1970s. It was believed that Mauler would greatly improve the capabilities of smaller ships, allowing them to take on some of the roles that would normally require a much larger platform, like a full destroyer. With Mauler's cancellation, the Navy had to start a crash program to develop

5964-448: Was 6 feet (1.8 m) long, 5 inches (130 mm) in diameter, had a 13 inches (330 mm) fin span, and weighed 120 pounds (54 kg). It had a maximum range of 5 miles (8.0 km) and ceiling of 20,000 feet (6,100 m), powered by a Lockheed solid-fuel motor of 8,350 pounds-force (37,100 N). Gatling gun The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling . It

6048-487: Was a self-propelled anti-aircraft missile system designed to a late 1950s US Army requirement for a system to combat low-flying high-performance tactical fighters and short-range ballistic missiles . The system was a XM546 vehicle, based on the M113 chassis, carrying nine MIM-46 missiles in launch canisters, a tracking and illumination continuous wave radar , and the fire control system. An ambitious design for its era,

6132-565: Was also developed. Although the Vigilante was, like the Duster, optically aimed and guided, its high (3,000 rounds per minute) firing rate gave it much better performance against high-speed aircraft. As the Vigilante program continued, the Army decided that any gun-based system was hopeless as speeds increased and engagement times dropped. The Vigilante had a maximum effective range of about 3,000 yd (2,700 m), and its shells took about 5 seconds to cross this distance. A jet aircraft flying at 500 mph (800 km/h) would cover over

6216-418: Was envisioned to engage both aircraft and missiles up to 10,000 feet. It was very clear by May 1956 that this was beyond the state of the art. The Army decided to pursue the "best weapon system that could be developed to meet requirements of the forward area on a liberal time scale" to be available in the 1965 period. Under the "Forward Area Air Defense" project, the Army began collecting theoretical data on

6300-584: Was essentially identical to the US's, but the Navy was looking for a solution to the problem of air attack against their capital ships both by high-speed aircraft as well as early (non-skimming) anti-shipping missiles . Starting in 1960 they had developed a program for a "Basic Point Defense Missile System", and intended to use a modified version of the Mauler, the "RIM-46A Sea Mauler", to fill this role. Mauler's beam riding system made it preferable to other missile systems because it would have fewer problems with clutter from

6384-632: Was eventually filled by the Bradley Linebacker , based on the short-range FIM-92 Stinger . The cancellation also left the British Army without a defense system, but they had prepared for this eventuality, having had several US missile systems cancelled out from under them in the past. Before selecting the Mauler, the British Aircraft Corporation had been working on a private project known as "Sightline", and continued its development as

6468-651: Was formed into a separate detachment led by Lt. John "Gatling Gun" Parker . The detachment proved very effective, supporting the advance of American forces at the Battle of San Juan Hill . Three of the Gatlings with swivel mountings were used with great success against the Spanish defenders. During the American charge up San Juan and Kettle hills, the three guns fired a total of 18,000 .30 Army rounds in 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes (an average of over 700 rounds per minute per gun of continuous fire) against Spanish troop positions along

6552-684: Was known as the XM-546. Several companies responded to the FAAD contract tender, which General Dynamics (Convair Pomona Division) won in 1959. In 1960 the project was given the official name "Mauler". The Mauler development program which was to begin in May 1959 did not get underway until March 1960. The Army was not the only potential user of the Mauler system; both the British Army and US Navy planned on using Mauler for their own needs. The British Army's intended role

6636-442: Was principally carried out at the Army's Springfield Armory arsenal repair shops. All models of Gatling guns were declared obsolete by the U.S. military in 1911, after 45 years of service. The original Gatling gun was a field weapon that used multiple rotating barrels turned by a hand crank , and firing loose (no links or belt) metal cartridge ammunition using a gravity feed system from a hopper. The Gatling gun's innovation lay in

6720-469: Was slaved to the illuminator in order to allow the seeker to see the reflected signal. The system, as a whole, was much larger than Mauler, had shorter range, and much longer reaction times. In spite of the Sea Sparrow's relative simplicity, it was quickly upgraded. The use of folding mid-mounted wings allowed the launcher cells to be greatly reduced in size, and an automatic tracking system was soon added to

6804-509: Was the continued tendency to lose guidance instructions immediately after launch. Additionally, when mounted in the 3 by 3 box launcher, the missiles would break their containers and damage the missiles in adjacent containers. Eventually no less than 22 different container materials would be used in an attempt to find a suitable solution. Mauler development was restricted by funding resulting in an Army Ordnance Missile Command recommendation that either funds be acquired from other sources (such as

6888-456: Was the first true fully automatic weapon, making use of the fired projectile's recoil force to reload the weapon. Nonetheless, the Gatling gun represented a huge leap in firearm technology. Before the Gatling gun, the only weapons available to military forces capable of firing many projectiles in a short period of time were mass-firing volley weapons , like the Belgian and French mitrailleuse of

6972-491: Was to be installed upon. A compatible identification friend or foe system (IFF) was a particular problem. Development of the missile airframe and engine progressed rapidly. Unguided examples, known as "Launch Test Vehicles", started firing tests in September 1961. These were quickly followed by the "Control Test Vehicle" guided examples in 1961, which flew simple paths to test the aerodynamic controls. Both test series demonstrated

7056-538: Was very similar to the model 1895, but with only a few components finished in O.D. green. The U.S. Army purchased several M1900s. All Gatling Models 1895–1903 could be mounted on an armored field carriage. In 1903, the Army converted its M1900 guns into .30 Army to fit the new .30-03 cartridge (standardized for the M1903 Springfield rifle) as the M1903. The later M1903-'06 was an M1903 converted to .30-06 . This conversion

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