The
GECAL 50 was first manufactured by
General Electric, then by
Lockheed Martin, and now by
General Dynamics. Design work began in 1982. Early prototypes had six barrels, but a three-barreled configuration is now standard. The GAU-19/A was originally designed as a larger, more potent version of the M134
Minigun. Due to the loss of nine helicopters
in Grenada, GE started building prototypes of the weapon in both a three-barreled and a six-barreled configuration. The six-barreled version was designed to fire 4,000 rounds per minute, and could be adapted to fire up to 8,000 rounds per minute. The GAU-19 takes 0.4 seconds to reach maximum firing rate. Soon it was recommended as a potential armament for the
V-22 Osprey. The magazine would be located underneath the cabin floor and could be reloaded in-flight. However, plans to mount the gun were later dropped. In December 1992 the US Navy issued a letter of qualification for GAU-19/A integration and use on naval aircraft. In 2005, the GAU-19/A was approved to be mounted on the
OH-58D Kiowa helicopter. It also could have been used on the Army's now cancelled
ARH-70. In 1999, the United States sent 28 GAU-19s to
Colombia.
Oman is known to use the GAU-19/A mounted on their HMMWVs. The Mexican Navy uses MDH
MD-902 series helicopters with the GAU-19/A system mounted for anti-narcotics operations. In October 2010 General Dynamics began developing the lighter weight GAU-19/B in response to an urgent needs statement issued by the Armed Scout Helicopter Program Office. By April 2011 flight testing had begun and by January 2012, the U.S. Army ordered 30 GAU-19/B versions for use on helicopters. All were delivered by the next month. ==Users==