The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded a firm-fixed-priced contract this month for the procurement of 136 M3M .50 caliber machine guns and full logistical support, including 24 spare M3M machine guns, to Fabrique Nationale Herstal, S.A. (FN Herstal), Herstal, Belgium.

The U.S. Navy configuration of the M3M system, called the GAU-21, is planned to be common to all U.S. Navy and Marine Corps assault support rotary-wing aircraft. The GAU-21 .50 caliber weapon system includes: a pintle mounted .50 caliber machine gun with an open bolt design, a rate of fire greater than 1,000 rounds per minute, a barrel life of 10,000 rounds, the capability to use 100, 300 or 600 round ammunition cans, the capability to fire all standard NATO .50 caliber ammunition, the ability to maintain or increase the available fields of fire for each airframe, and the capability for dismounted operation by one person within two minutes.

This contract award follows a successful qualitative assessment to ascertain the tactical effectiveness and suitability of the M3M .50 caliber weapon system on U.S. Marine Corps assault support helicopters. The assessment was conducted by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) along with Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-One (MAWTS-1). Further testing and evaluation was then conducted by NAVAIR’s Defense Suppression Systems program team, who utilized additional feedback from HX-21 (rotary wing test squadron) and HMH-461 (CH-53 Fleet squadron).

The GAU-21 weapon system will be capable of being mounted on each of the following platforms: CH-46, CH-53, H-60, UH-1, and MV-22 aircraft to include left and right door mounts, the ramp mount for the CH-53, and integration onto the Improved Defensive Armament System (IDAS) for the UH-1 aircraft. The weapon system includes compatibility with Night Vision Device (NVD) capable targeting, pointing and illuminating laser systems. The operation of the weapon, along with the ammunition handling, feed, and storage system does not require electrical power from the aircraft or any other source.

The machine gun program is managed by the Navy’s Program Executive Office, Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation (PEO(W)) co-located at the NAVAIR complex in Patuxent River, Maryland.