Cannon 1900-Modern Day

A revolver cannon is a kind of cannon in which the projectiles, in this case shells, are fired at a very high rate. In history, cannons have usually been semi-automatic, or fire upon single detonations within the chamber. Revolver cannons are automatic, which means that they can fire at a much higher rate than previous cannons. This kind of firearm is used on aircrafts for maximum damage and has multiple chambers to speed up the loading rate.

M61 Vulcan

Near the end of World War II, the U.S. Army wanted a new approach on aircraft guns. Since fighter airplanes had become much faster, the gun had to have an extremely high firing rate so as to get more hits in much less time.

Design: The M61 Vulcan is a Gatling-style cannon, meaning that it has multiple barrels from which projectiles can be shot. This cannon has six barrels that fire once in turn as the barrels spin at a very fast rate and is capable of achieving 6,000 rounds per minute. The spinning of the barrels required an external power source, which comes from the aircraft itself. Since there are six barrels, overheating in the individual barrels is minimized compared to if there was only one barrel firing at the same rate. The M61 Vulcan can fire continuously for up to a minute and a half, or around 10,000 rounds without complications, making the cannon extremely reliable.

Ammunition: At first, the M61 used belted 20 mm shells. The used belts would be ejected and would often cause problems in flight. Later, the M61 Vulcan was replaced by the M6A1, which would then be improved upon in the future.





 As you can see, the linked belts and the shells for the M61 Vulcan were huge and cumbersome 

Manufacturer: Created by General Electric shortly after World War II, but now produced by General Dynamics after several advancements.

Battles: The original M61 Vulcan was not used in any battles but later enhancements (mainly the M61A1 and the M61A2), have been frequently used.

Mauser BK-27

The Mauser BK-27 is also a revolver cannon and it has been used for decades across the world for all kinds of aircraft. It, like the M61 Vulcan, has been improved upon since its first design and is still used effectively in the modern world.

Design: The Mauser BK-27 was initially designed in the 1960s for the MRCA, or the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft. This revolver cannon is gas-powered and can fire up to 1,700 rounds per minute. The cannon has a buffer system to separate itself from its aircraft. This buffer system provides for minimal recoil on the gun and very little vibration on the airframe. In the back of the cannon is an ammunition box into which spent cartridges can be deposited quickly and safely. The cannon's projectiles can be directed by either a prediction sight or by radar.

This is the ammunition box that stores the spent shells of the Mauser BK-27

Ammunition: The first Mauser BK-27 had, like the M61 Vulcan, a linked feed of 27 mm shells. As mentioned above, the spent cartridges were sent into an ammunition box that improved the safety of the flight. The Mauser BK-27 is an automatic weapon that uses a wide range of ammunition effectively, including explosive shells.

Manufacturer: The BK-27 is manufactured by Mauser, a division of Rheinmetall in Germany. Rheinmetall is known for manufacturing many pieces of artillery used in the past.

Battles: The BK-27 has been used ever since the 1960s on a number of aircrafts. Therefore, it is safe to infer that every battle since then has witnessed this gun and its destructive power.