Development Command Armament Center News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

By Dan Parsons | March 11, 2021 Estimated reading time 7 minutes, 24 seconds. Northrop Grumman is nearing production of a new 20-millimeter chain gun, an improved version of the M230 Apache nose cannon the company hopes will earn its way onto the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Recon Aircraft (FARA).   Called the “Sky Viper,” the chain gun system — the gun itself, ammunition, feeding and control mechanisms — weighs less, fires more rapidly and has a lighter recoil than the legacy cannon. It is also designed with greater accuracy and simpler, easier-to-maintain mechanisms than a rota...

Northrop Designing 'Sky Viper' Cannon for Army's Futuristic Attack Helicopter Artist rendition of Northrop Grumman’s new Sky Viper 20mm cannon for the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) effort. (Courtesy Northrop Grumman) 11 Mar 2021 Northrop Grumman announced Wednesday that it is building a new 20mm cannon for the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft -- one that it says is far more accurate than the AH-64 Apache's 30mm chain gun. The new chain gun, named the Sky Viper, will be similar to the M230 30mm cannon, which Northrop manufactures for the Apache, but will f...