The AAI In-Line was a prototype aircraft machine gun developed by

AAI Corporation AAI Corporation is an aerospace and defense development and manufacturing firm, located in Hunt Valley, Maryland, US. Formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation, AAI was acquired by Textron in 2007. It currently opera ...

. The weapon was intended for potential aircraft use and capable of high rate of fire similar to the

M134 Minigun The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric ...

but with the accuracy of a fixed barrel machine gun. The In-Line machine gun concept worked and passed air force tests but was not further developed. Around three of them were manufactured. The only known example is on display at the

Air Force Armament Museum The Air Force Armament Museum is a military aviation museum adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida, dedicated to the display of Air Force armament. It is supported by the private, non-profit Air Force Armament Museum Foundation ...

Design

The AAI In-Line is an externally driven chain/crankshaft operated machine gun with six fixed barrels. The belt feed is unusual as it uses a synchronizer for every sixth round is to be chambered in each barrel. It is chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO.

References

AAI In-LineAAI In-Line at the Air Force Armament Museum
{{USAF weapons 7.62×51mm NATO machine guns Aircraft guns Abandoned military projects of the United States Machine guns of the United States Multi-barrel machine guns