M197 electric cannon

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	Weapon: M197 electric cannon Type: Autocannon Country of Origin: United States Year Adopted: 1967 Caliber: 20x102mm Action: Rotary Machine Gun Overall Length (mm): 1828.0 Overall Length (in): 71.97 Weight (kg): 60.00 Weight (pounds): 132.28 Effective Range (m): 2000 m Effective Range (yards): 2187.23

The M197 is a three-barreled electric Gatling-style rotary cannon developed in the United States, originating in the late 1960s when the Vietnam War exposed the limitations of the 7.62 mm Minigun in helicopter gunship roles. Designed as a lighter, lower-recoil alternative to the six-barrel M61 Vulcan, it leverages the same 20x102 mm ammunition series (M50/PGU) and delivers roughly one-quarter of the Vulcan's rate of fire, providing better suitability for installation on agile aircraft.

Entering service in 1967, the M197 equipped later variants of the AH-1 Cobra (using M97 or A/A49E-7 armament subsystems) and saw use in U.S. Marine Corps gunships, ventral turrets on the YOV-10D Bronco, as well as in the GPU-2/A gun pod. It ships with approximately 700 linked rounds (up to 750 including feed), with a cyclic rate generally around 730 +/- 50 rounds per minute, though capable of peaking near 1,500 rpm depending on configuration.

The M197 has gained a mixed reputation. While its electric rotary drive is reliable, it suffered from frequent ammunition-feed jams-pilots reported jam rates exceeding 30%. A linkless feed system developed by Meggitt was introduced in 2011 to improve reliability in AH-1W and AH-1Z gunships. The cannon remains in current service on AH-1W SuperCobra and AH-1Z Viper helicopters, and has also been installed on platforms such as the Agusta A129 Mangusta and KAI LAH. The planned XM301-an enhanced version-was intended for the canceled RAH-66 Comanche.