Delete comment from: Elements Of Power
There are lots of factors that are traded off in determining which cannon would be better, but in the case of the BK-27 vs GAU-22, I think the determinant came down to rounds per sq meter per pass at X slant range. The installed accuracy spec for the F-35 is extremely high compared to past cannon installations and I don't think the BK-27 would have come as close to the 'lethality' spec as the GAU-22 will. I'll be impressed if the GAU-22 will meet it, but I doubt if the BK-27 would come near as close. While he BK-27 has a 'instant' fire rate and the Gatling GAU needs to spin up, the initial edge of the BK-27 seems trivial when you average the number of rounds, at the relative accuracies, for a single pass.
Big gun preferences are also just as contentious a topic as small gun preferences as you've seem to have found out.[;-) In looking at the history of US philosophy on the subject, it seems that the US has always gone for slinging as much lead at one time as possible. I think that matter of taste determines how the US weighs pros and cons and decides HOW it gets the lethality it wants.
Aug 1, 2015, 12:30:20 PM
Posted to F-35B IOC is Imminent