XM913
US 50mm chain gun autocannon
TypeChain gun autocannon
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerPicatinny Arsenal
ManufacturerNorthrop Grumman
Specifications
Mass660 lb (300 kg)
Length157.8 inches (4,010 mm)
Barrel length117.7 inches (2,990 mm)
Shell50×228mm
Caliber50 millimetres (1.97 in) caliber
Rate of fire100/200 rounds per minute

The XM913 is an experimental American chain gun produced at Picatinny Arsenal.[1] The cannon is a larger and more modern version of the 25 mm Bushmaster cannon. Although its shells, 50 x 228 mm, are twice the diameter of the 25×137mm M242 Bushmaster, the 50mm cannon is not much longer than the smaller weapon.[2] The overall lengths of the 25mm cannon and 50mm cannon are 105.2 inches (267 cm) and 117.7 inches (299 cm), respectively; while the portion of the gun that intrudes into the turret are 30.0 inches (76 cm) and 40.1 inches (102 cm), respectively.

Ammunition

50 x 228 munitions.

The XM1204 High Explosive Air Bursting with Trace round is programmable. The gunner can select from three detonation modes.[1]

  • When in point detonate mode the projectile's high explosive detonates when it hits a target.[1]
  • In point detonate delay mode the high explosive detonates a brief instant after it hits a target.[1] The delay is intended to let the projectile first penetrate a wall, and explode when it emerges on the other side.
  • In air burst mode the cannon's aiming system programs the munition to explode in the air above the target.[1][3] When the gunner aims his or her sight on the desired target, and presses their trigger halfway, the aiming system calculates the range to the target. They can then raise their sight slightly above the target, and when they pull the trigger all the way the aiming system will instruct the round to explode in the air above the target. Enemies hiding behind an obstacle can then be killed or wounded without blowing a hole through the obstacle.

The XM1203 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Trace. The projectile itself is 50 mm in diameter, encasing a long thin dart, designed to pierce armored vehicles. A light "sabot" grips the barrel's rifling, in order for the shell to get the full power of the expanding gas. Tracer rounds have a button of pyrotechnic chemical that leaves a trail to help a gunner observe the fall of the shot.

The XM1202 Target Practice-Tracer round is a full-bore training round 50 mm in diameter. With the intended purpose of drill firing and gun ballistic tests, the XM1202 round likely shares similar ballistic performance to the XM1204 HEAB-T round. Tracer rounds have a button of pyrotechnic chemical that leaves a trail to help a gunner observe the fall of the shot.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ed Lopez (9 July 2020). "Army engineers develop greater lethality, speed to support future combat vehicle". Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020. Integrated into the design are the 50mm auto cannon, known as the XM913, capable of firing both XM1204 High Explosive Airburst with Trace (HEAB-T), and XM1203 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Trace (APFSDS-T) munitions. The HEAB-T and APFSDS-T cartridges were designed and developed by Picatinny engineers and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.
  2. ↑ Chuck Hill (21 April 2019). "50mm Chain Gun, More Detail". Chuck Hill's blog. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020. Comparison of 50mm Bushmaster III with the 30mm Bushmaster II. By comparison the 25mm's length over all is 105.2 in (2.672 m) and its barrel length is 85.6 in (2.175 m).
  3. ↑ Brian Wang (17 September 2016). "US Army projects developing more accurate and lethal 30mm and 50mm guns". Next Big Future. Retrieved 22 October 2020. In 2017, will validate PABM fuze technology and warhead lethality data, iterating and improving as necessary; using a commercially developed barrel, demonstrate PABM and AP effectiveness against personnel and materiel targets; design and fabricate 50mm weapon and ammunition handling system (AHS) prototypes; exploit advances in advanced Fire Control hardware to improve system performance; mature Fire Control software
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