Because you always wanted to go "Predator"

[Spencer100]

Handheld minigun

https://tribunist.com/technology/do-you-need-a-handheld-minigun-of-course-you-do-video/?fbclid=IwAR0hlyOT6cBnuXPpmruR8L1TBkzlOmDgvTSsxk7VZ1ENPYrARVtIY905Quk

 

[LittleBlackDevil]

That thing is a fair bit smaller than "Old Painless". Still pretty cool. I think I'd rather have a mini-gun than a micro-gun if I had the option for rule of cool. Although that micro gun is probably easier to carry and use (Jessie Ventura had to have a special harness made to lug around "Old Painless" in the film).

The amount of ammo you'd have to carry to actually use something like that would be ludicrous though. I remember back in the day that having to carry a couple thousand rounds as a C9 gunner on a patrol sucked enough.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I went to Hurricane Butterfly which owns the minigun used in the movie, handled the beast, I could bare move with it empty. Apparently due to the torque, the actor had to tied to a metal stake to keep him from falling down when fired.

 

[NavyShooter]

So....this is now starting to get to the point in size where a mini-CIWS could be possible.


Ponder the thought of a .223 minigun (microgun) in an automatic turret system that could be slapped on top of an AFV with a couple of thousand rounds of ammo, a small radar dish and a fire-finder system.  Capable of detecting and engaging inbound ballistic threats (RPG's, ATGMs) from a range of 500m or so.  A typical 5.56 weapons system's dispersion is about 3 MOA or 15" at 500m - putting 50 rounds through a 15" circle at 500m would be 'badness' for incoming threats.


Concept....wonder if it'd be practical or not. 

 

[OldSolduer]

having to carry a couple thousand rounds as a C9 gunner on a patrol sucked enough.

Excuse me but maybe you're a bit harder than I but a couple of thousand rounds of 5.56 is more than one soldier can carry.

IIRC the front line ammo for a C9 gunner is three belts - 600 rounds.

 

[LittleBlackDevil]

Excuse me but maybe you're a bit harder than I but a couple of thousand rounds of 5.56 is more than one soldier can carry.

IIRC the front line ammo for a C9 gunner is three belts - 600 rounds.

Perhaps my memory has made it a lot more ammo than it really was ...

Generally, yeah, I remember having three boxes (one on the gun, and two others on my kit) for a standard battle poadout (versus the 200 rounds or so for the C7 guys).

I just remember one time we did an ambush and I had to carry a LOT of those ammo boxes/belts. They are 200 rounds each, right? I guess I didn't have ten of them, but I for sure had at least 4-6 with one on the gun. I remember it was a ridiculous amount of weight not to mention very clumsy. But it was fun to empty the boxes and link the belts together for continuous fire when we launched the ambush.

Keep in mind these were all blanks too which are lighter than live rounds.

 

[Good2Golf]

So....this is now starting to get to the point in size where a mini-CIWS could be possible.


Ponder the thought of a .223 minigun (microgun) in an automatic turret system that could be slapped on top of an AFV with a couple of thousand rounds of ammo, a small radar dish and a fire-finder system.  Capable of detecting and engaging inbound ballistic threats (RPG's, ATGMs) from a range of 500m or so.  A typical 5.56 weapons system's dispersion is about 3 MOA or 15" at 500m - putting 50 rounds through a 15" circle at 500m would be 'badness' for incoming threats.


Concept....wonder if it'd be practical or not.

Don’t underestimate the sparseness of space where a non-HEI round as small as 5.56 is concerned. It’s not like 5.56 can be range/ToF-fused either.

 

[NavyShooter]

On the ships, we use 20mm tungsten penetrators - so it's not even 20mm, it's a saboted tungsten projectile that's about 15 or 16mm.

Sending out a ~6mm projectile would be...less useful, but also much shorter range.

It's a concept.  Probably not a workable one though.

 

[blacktriangle]

NS, have you seen the USMC MADIS? I think it is using a minigun as an interim hard kill option, optimized for C-UAS duties within their LAAD units. Your concept sort of reminded me of it.