The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23 () (GRAU designation: 9A-620 for GSh-6-23, 9A-768 for GSh-6-23M modernized variant) is a six-barreled 23 mm

rotary cannon A rotary cannon, rotary autocannon, rotary gun or Gatling cannon, is any large-caliber multiple-barreled automatic firearm that uses a Gatling-type rotating barrel assembly to deliver a sustained saturational direct fire at much greater ra ...

used by some modern

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

/Russian military aircraft. The GSh-6-23 differs from most American multi-barreled aircraft cannon in that it is

gas-operated Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, Semi-automatic firearm, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the Cartridge (firearms), cartridge being fired is used t ...

, rather than externally powered via an

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

, hydraulic, or pneumatic system. The GSh-6-23 uses the 23×115 Russian AM-23 round, fed via linked cartridge belt or a linkless feed system. The linkless system, adopted after numerous problems and failures with the belt feed, is limited. Fire control is electrical, using a 27 V DC system. The cannon has 10 pyrotechnic cocking charges, similar to those used in European gas-operated

revolver cannon A revolver cannon is a type of autocannon, commonly used as an aircraft gun. It uses a cylinder with multiple chambers, similar to those of a revolver handgun, to speed up the loading-firing-ejection cycle. Some examples are also power-driven, ...

such as the DEFA 554 or Mauser BK-27. The rapid rate of fire exhausts ammunition quickly: the

Mikoyan MiG-31 The Mikoyan MiG-31 (; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed for the Soviet Air Forces by the Mikoyan design bureau as a replacement for the earlier MiG-25 "Foxbat"; the MiG-31 is based on and shares de ...

aircraft, for example, with 260 rounds of ammunition (800 rounds maximum), would empty its ammunition tank in less than two seconds. GSh-6-23M has the highest

rate of fire Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...

out of any

autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a automatic firearm, fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary ammunition, incendiary shell (projectile), shells, ...

so far. The GSh-6-23 is used by the

Sukhoi Su-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, night fighter, all-weather tactical bomber developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, Twinjet, twin engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for it ...

attack aircraft An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pr ...

, the MiG-31

interceptor aircraft An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are c ...

, and the now-obsolete

Sukhoi Su-15 The Sukhoi Su-15 (NATO reporting name: Flagon) is a twinjet supersonic interceptor aircraft developed by the Soviet Union. It entered service in 1965 and remained one of the front-line designs into the 1990s. The Su-15 was designed to replace t ...

among others. However, after two Su-24s were lost because of premature shell detonation in 1983, and because of some other problems with gun usage (such as system failures), usage of the GSh-6-23 was stopped by a decision of the Soviet Air Force Command. At present all aircraft in the Russian Aerospace Forces are flying with fully operational guns. It is also used in the SPPU-6 gun pod, which can traverse to −45° elevation, and ±45°

azimuth An azimuth (; from ) is the horizontal angle from a cardinal direction, most commonly north, in a local or observer-centric spherical coordinate system. Mathematically, the relative position vector from an observer ( origin) to a point ...

Variants

* Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23M; a modernized version.

References

Sources

* ''Rapid Fire'', Anthony G. Williams, Airlife UK, August 2000 *

External links

KPB Tula (designer/manufacturer)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gryazev-Shipunov Gsh-6-23 Rotary cannon Multi-barrel machine guns Aircraft guns Aircraft guns of the Soviet Union 23 mm artillery Multiple-barrel firearms KBP Instrument Design Bureau products Military equipment introduced in the 1970s

Variants

See also

References

Sources

External links