Impressive footage shows the F-35B testing the podded GAU-22/A Gun. But it's not a BRRRRRTTTTTTT video

IMPRESSIVE FOOTAGE SHOWS F-35B TESTING PODDED GAU-22/A GUN. BUT IT’S NOT A BRRRRRTTTTTTT VIDEO

By Dario Leone
Oct 30 2017
Share this article

Even if the GAU-22/A gun doesn’t feature the same raw power of the A-10’s GAU-8/A Avenger, the Joint Strike Fighter is ready for next year CAS flyoff between the F-35 and A-10

Taken at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pax River, the interesting video in this post shows F-35B BF-01 completing the first ever aircraft-mounted test-fire of the podded GAU-22/A gun.

According to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) website, the 25mm GAU-22/A produced by is an externally powered Gatling gun selected for installation in the F-35 Lightning II fighter.

GD-OTS developed the GAU-22/A for both the internal and external F-35 gun systems. This four-barrel gun is a derivative of the highly successful five-barrel, 25mm GAU-12/U gun also developed and built by GD-OTS.

Each of the four gun barrels has a breech bolt assembly that fires once per gun revolution. This ensures long barrel and breech life by distributing the heat and firing forces over all four barrels and breech positions. Continuous rotary motion reduces the impact loads on gun components, extending parts life and resulting in extremely high gun reliability.

The GAU-22/A is over 40 pounds lighter and occupies 20 percent less volume than the comparably equipped 5-barrel counterpart. The gun is easily configured to mount in either the F-35A internal gun system installation or the F-35B/C missionized gun pods.

F-35B Print
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-35B Lighning II VMFA-121 Green Knights, VK00, 169164 / 2015

The demonstrated versatility, coupled with significant combat lethality, makes the GAU-22/A gun an ideal candidate for air, land and sea platforms requiring an effective weapon for a variety of missions against a broad range of targets.

However even if the GAU-22/A doesn’t feature the same raw power of the A-10’s GAU-8/A Avenger, we think the Joint Strike Fighter is ready for the close air support (CAS) flyoff between the F-35 and A-10 that according to Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus (who is member of the the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program’s integration office) could start as early as next year.

Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

    List of some possible advertising permissions:

    You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices