GAU-19/A
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 914 mm
- Weight, empty
- 62.70 kg
- Introduced
- 1983
About
What it is, and why it matters
The GAU-19/A is a three-barrel, externally-powered electric Gatling-style heavy machine gun chambered in .50 BMG (12.7x99mm NATO) and developed by General Electric in the early 1980s, with current production handled by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. Often described as the .50-caliber 'big brother' of the 7.62mm M134 Minigun, the GAU-19 was designed to provide aircraft, vehicles, and naval craft with a heavy machine gun capable of delivering massive volumes of accurate, hard-hitting fire against light armor, technicals, and infantry in the open at ranges where the M134's 7.62mm rounds lose effectiveness. The original GAU-19/A weighs approximately 63 kg with feeder and offers selectable cyclic rates of 1,000 or 2,000 rounds per minute; the lighter GAU-19/B variant introduced in 2012 weighs 48 kg and is optimized for the U.S. Armed Aerial Scout helicopter program with a fixed 1,300 rpm rate. The weapon accepts standard NATO M9-linked .50 BMG ammunition or can be fed via linkless system, and like all externally powered Gatlings it is virtually immune to misfire stoppages because dud rounds are mechanically ejected rather than blocking the action. Mounting platforms include the M1114 HMMWV, AH-6 Little Bird, OH-58 Kiowa, MH-60 helicopters, and various special operations boats. Adoption has been modest by comparison to the M134, with confirmed users including the United States, Mexico, Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
The GAU-19 was originally pitched in the 1980s as a counter-defensive weapon for the forward-firing pintles of helicopter cabins, where its three .50 BMG barrels could simultaneously engage technicals, light armor, and aircraft. In a single one-second burst at 2,000 rpm the GAU-19 puts roughly 33 .50-caliber rounds - over 600 grams of armor-piercing lead - onto a target, with combined muzzle energy exceeding half a megajoule per second.
The GAU-19's three-barrel cluster is a deliberate compromise between the firepower of a six-barrel design and the weight/electrical-power demands a full Vulcan-style six-barrel .50 BMG would impose. The GAU-19/B's 30 percent weight reduction came primarily from titanium and aluminum components in the rotor housing and feeder. Power requirement is approximately 1.5 kW from a 28V DC source. Recoil force during sustained fire is on the order of 1,200 lbf (5,300 N), requiring substantial mounting infrastructure. Because the .50 BMG cartridge is significantly larger and more powerful than 7.62 NATO, the GAU-19 has roughly 10x the muzzle energy of the M134 per round but at one-third to one-half the rate of fire.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- United States
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1983
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 914 mm
- Overall length
- 1369 mm
- Height
- 381 mm
- Width
- 343 mm
- Weight, empty
- 62.70 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Electric gatling
- Firing mechanism
- Externally powered
- Trigger
- Automatic only
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 890 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 18000 J
- Effective range
- 1830 m
- Maximum range
- 7400 m
- Rate of fire
- 2000 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
- Three barrel rotary
- Externally powered electric motor
- Selectable rate of fire
Linked ammunition feed- Delinking feeder
Vehicle helicopter naval mount- Crew served
- No first round misfire risk
- Anti armor anti personnel
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 261 machine guns | 62.70 kg | 10.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 1369 mm | 1156 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 914 mm | 605 mm | Longer than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the GAU-19/A
How much does the GAU-19/A weigh?
The GAU-19/A weighs 62.70 kg (138.23 lb) empty.
What caliber is the GAU-19/A?
The GAU-19/A is chambered in .50 BMG.
How long is the GAU-19/A?
The GAU-19/A is 1369 mm (53.9 in) long overall, with a 914 mm (36.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the GAU-19/A?
The GAU-19/A is made by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (United States). It was designed by General Electric Armament Systems Division.
When was the GAU-19/A introduced?
The GAU-19/A was introduced in 1983.
How does the GAU-19/A operate?
The GAU-19/A uses an electric gatling action, and its firing mechanism is externally powered.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Armed Forces
- 1983
- Mexican Armed Forces
- Mexico
- Colombian Armed Forces
- Colombia
- United Arab Emirates Armed Forces
- United Arab Emirates
- Royal Saudi Armed Forces
- Saudi Arabia
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
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No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/gau-19' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "gau-19", "name": "GAU-19/A", "manufacturer": { "id": "general-dynamics", "name": "General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1899, "website": "https://www.gd-ots.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "506b9e31e483c9bb558ffec8c1e83d15fab95cc901ad4c2ccea38ffdb9dd0187" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1983, "barrel_length_mm": 914, "weight_empty_g": 62700, "action_type": "electric_gatling"}