Minigun-Armed Mojave Drone Now Blasting Targets At 6,000 Rounds Per Minute
This is the first time Minigun pods have been live-fired from a drone in this class and there are already plans to expand on the capability.
BY
JOSEPH TREVITHICK
|
PUBLISHED APR 23, 2024 1:57 PM EDT
General Atomics' Mojave short takeoff and landing drone armed with a pair of Minigun pods recently conducted a first-of-its-kind live-fire demonstration.
General Atomics' Mojave short take-off and landing drone armed with a pair of Dillon Aero DAP-6 Minigun pods shredded several static targets in a first-of-its-kind live-fire demonstration earlier this month. The company already has plans to further build on this new capability. This also comes as it is looking to pitch something of a hybrid of Mojave and its MQ-1C Gray Eagle to the U.S. Army as a new armed reconnaissance platform following the service's cancellation of its most recent armed scout helicopter program.
The DAP-6-armed Mojave engaged multiple ground targets in seven strafing runs across two separate sorties on April 13, according to a press release and accompanying video, seen below, that General Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) put out today. At one point in the video, a Chevy pickup truck is seen exploding. The 7.62x51mm rounds that a Minigun fires are not explosive, but the truck could've been rigged with explosives or fuel inside of it could have ignited.
A total of 10,000 rounds of 7.62x51mm ammunition were fired across all seven passes, or an average of around 1,428 rounds per pass. GA-ASI conducted the live-fire demonstration, which it funded internally, at the Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
https://www.twz.com/air/minigun-armed-mojave-drone-now-blasting-targets-at-6000-rounds-per-minute
