The American Mojave drone with a Minigun DAP-6 with a total rate of fire of 6000 rounds per minute hit ground targets during testing
General Atomics conducted a live-fire demonstration, which it funded internally, at the Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. Mojave's STOL drone, equipped with a pair of miniguns, destroyed several static targets in a first-of-its-kind demonstration.
The American manufacturer already has plans to further develop this new feature. It also comes as the US Army plans to offer something like a hybrid of the Mojave and its MQ-1C Gray Eagle as a new attack and reconnaissance helicopter program after the cancellation of the last armed reconnaissance helicopter program.
Armed with DAP-6 cannons, the Mojave hit multiple ground targets in seven rounds of fire during its demonstration of its capabilities. The 7,62mm ammunition fired by the Minigun DAP-6 is not explosive, but the truck used as a target could have been rigged with explosives or the fuel inside could have ignited.
A total of 10 rounds were fired over all seven passes.
According to experts, the rate of fire of the minigun in the DAP-6 unit is 3000 rounds per minute. The combined rate of fire of the two pods Mojave carried during the demonstration was 6000 rounds per minute. The DAP-6's maximum magazine capacity is also 3000 rounds, giving a total firing time of 60 seconds. Less ammunition can be loaded into the capsule to reduce its overall weight. The DAP-6 weighs 73,5 kg when empty, but when fully loaded it increases to approximately 158,8 kg.
The general idea of an artillery mount, in which weapons can be articulated to varying degrees, is not new. During the Soviet era, a number of suspended artillery systems were developed.
Containers like DAP-6 are just part of the weapons, which Mojave could potentially carry. Unveiled to the public in 2021 and first flown the same year, Mojave has three fulcrums under each wing. In the past, the drone has also been demonstrated with AGM-114 Hellfires and AGM-179 Joint Air-Ground Missile (JAGM) weapons.
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