What is the fire rate, full and automatic, of the GAU-23 (30mm)?

What is the fire rate, full and automatic, of the GAU-23 (30mm)?

• A. Twenty rounds per minute
• B. Ten rounds per minute for the first three minutes, three rounds per minute thereafter.
• C. 200 RPM and 100 RPM
• D. 300 RPM and 150 RPM

Answer: (C)

Understanding how aircraft guns manage heat and wear helps explain the two rates. The GAU-23/A, a 30mm Gatling-type cannon, is designed to run in full-automatic mode with two selectable firing rates: a higher rate for short bursts and a lower sustained rate to keep firing longer without overheating. The two numbers—200 rounds per minute for the higher-rate bursts and 100 rounds per minute for sustained fire—reflect that approach. Delivering a rapid burst increases hit probability, but keeping that high rate continuously would overheat the gun; switching to a steadier 100 rpm allows longer firing while protecting the barrel and mechanism. The other options describe rates that are either far too slow for practical automatic fire or don’t align with how sustained automatic fire is usually managed, making them less appropriate.

Understanding how aircraft guns manage heat and wear helps explain the two rates. The GAU-23/A, a 30mm Gatling-type cannon, is designed to run in full-automatic mode with two selectable firing rates: a higher rate for short bursts and a lower sustained rate to keep firing longer without overheating. The two numbers—200 rounds per minute for the higher-rate bursts and 100 rounds per minute for sustained fire—reflect that approach. Delivering a rapid burst increases hit probability, but keeping that high rate continuously would overheat the gun; switching to a steadier 100 rpm allows longer firing while protecting the barrel and mechanism. The other options describe rates that are either far too slow for practical automatic fire or don’t align with how sustained automatic fire is usually managed, making them less appropriate.