The U.S. military has spent a ridiculous amount of money on the F-35A jet which is supposed to become the primary weapon for the country and its allies but as recent reports suggest there’s still work left to be done before this military jet can be entrusted with the responsibilities of safeguarding the nation. It’s one step closer to that goal though as last month the first test of the F-35A’s onboard cannon was conducted and the video of that test has now been released.
F-35 houses a 25mm GAU-22/A gatling gun in the wing, the gun is capable of firing 55 rounds per second at a target in the air or on the ground. The gun is an improvement over what’s found in jets like the F-16, F15-C and F-15E which have cannons that can only fire 20mm shells.
This gun does present a challenge for pilots though since the F-35A can only hold one 220-round magazine which the GAU-22/A gatling gun can fire in four seconds.
So at least the F-35A has this going for it, particularly after a report which revealed that the next-generation fighter succumbs to the F-16 in a dogfight.
The video shows an F-35 jet testing the canon in a stationary position on the ground without the engines running, and while one can appreciate that it has a working gatling gun, it goes without saying that in operational circumstances it will rarely be used in this manner.