Summary
The General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-type rotary autocannon that is typically mounted in the United States Air Force's Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. Designed specifically for the anti-tank role, the Avenger delivers very powerful rounds at a high rate of fire. The GAU-8/A is also used in the Goalkeeper CIWS ship weapon system, an autonomous and completely automatic weapon system for short-range defense of ships against highly maneuverable missiles, aircraft and fast maneuvering surface vessels
The General Electric GAU-13/A is a 30mm pneumatically driven four-barrel Gatling-type rotary cannon derived from the GAU-8 Avenger cannon, developed in the late 1970s for use by the United States Air Force in gun pod applications on fighter aircraft and attack aircraft, primarily in the role of air-to-ground and anti-armor attacks. However, as of 1997, the United States Marine Corps had reportedly acquired the USAF's entire stock of GAU-13/A cannons for testing on their LCAC-66 landing hovercraft, as well as for possible armament on ships and ground vehicles such as their LAV-25.
Powers and Stats
Tier: 9-B single shot, up to 9-A in short bursts of a second or longer, higher with piercing damage
Name: General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger, Thales Goalkeeper SGE-30 (naval CIWS), General Electric GAU-13/A (light version)
Origin: The Real World
Classification: 30mm hydraulically/pneumatically driven multi-barrel Gatling-type rotary autocannon
Users: United States Air Force, specifically mounted on the A-10 Thunderbolt II (GAU-8/A Avenger); Belgian, Chilean, Dutch, Peruvian, Portuguese, Qatari, South Korean, and British navies (Goalkeeper SGE-30); United States Marine Corps, Royal Thai Air Force (GAU-13/A)
Attack Potency: Wall level (The muzzle kinetic energy of an armor-piercing incendiary (API) round is over 200 kilojoules, and for an armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) depleted uranium/tungsten round it hits over 225 kilojoules, while the combined kinetic and explosive energy of a high explosive incendiary (HEI) round is over 420 kilojoules), Small Building level in short bursts (The GAU-8 has a firing rate of 2,100–4,200 rounds per minute, making it quite effective at destroying armored fighting vehicles, aircraft and missiles. The GAU-13/A is largely the same, although it has a lower rate of fire of 2,400 rounds per minute), higher with piercing damage
Speed: Supersonic+ (API and HEI rounds travel at a muzzle velocity of at least 1,013 m/s, while APFSDS rounds travel at nearly 1,390 meters per second), Subsonic+ to Supersonic rotational velocity for the gun's barrel (spins at 300–600 revolutions per minute)
Range: Varies from Kilometers (Effective range is 1,200 meters, maximum range is over 3,600 meters) up to Tens of Kilometers (APFSDS rounds can reach distances of over 17,500 meters)