Editing GAU-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannon

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.

Latest revision Your text
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Status|Canon}}
{{era|HCW}}
{{Weapon infobox
[[File:UNSC_Hawk_Chaingun.jpg|right|325px|thumb|Concept art of the GAU-23.]]
|name=GAU-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannon
|image= [[File:UNSC Hawk Chaingun.jpg|300px]]
Concept art of the GAU-23.
|manufacturer=
|series=
|type=[[:Category:Autocannons|Autocannon]]
|cost=
|variant=
|service=
|length=
|width=
|height=
|weight=
|ammotype=20mm ammunition
*[[M718 SAPHEI]]
*[[PGU-42/B API]]
|capacity=
|feed=Linkless feed
|operation=Fully automatic
|rate=
|velocity=
|optics=
|range=
}}
The '''GAU-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannon''' is a weapon used by the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], mounted on [[AV-22 Sparrowhawk]]s{{Ref/Book|EVG|Page=182}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Guide|Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide|Page=45-46}}, [[AV-14 Hornet]]s{{Ref/Reuse|Guide}} and [[AC-220 Vulture]] gunships.{{Ref/Reuse|Guide}}{{Ref/Book|EVG|Page=202}}{{Ref/Site|Id=waypoint|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/en-us#/intel/theuniverse/tech/gallery/vulture/d7c47141-fe31-43ff-8698-3ec01a19b356?filter=all|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=AC-220 Vulture gunship|D=25|M=03|Y=2011}}


==Overview==
The '''GAU-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannon''' is a weapon used by the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], mounted on [[AV-22 Sparrowhawk]]s<ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 182''</ref> and [[AC-220 Vulture]] gunships.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 202''</ref> It was capable of engaging a number of enemy units of various types, ranging from infantry, to armored vehicles and aircraft.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars]]''', ''leader cards''</ref> The version mounted on Sparrowhawks can fire the full range of 20mm aircraft ammunition, though the standard loadout is either M718 SAPHEI or PGU-42/B API, with a [[depleted uranium]] core.<ref name="units">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-local-units '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Canon Fodder: Local Units'']</ref><ref group="note">Page 182 of ''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]'' indicates that the cannon fires 30mm ammunition.</ref> The Vulture heavy gunship's version uses a .50 caliber round that is heavier than the Sparrowhawk's ammunition.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]'''</ref><ref name="fifty" group="note"> It would seem that this is a typo, as .50 caliber ammunition is much, much smaller and weaker than 20mm autocannon ammunition. The source material may have meant 50mm, as this is more consistent with the weapon's damage, report, and blast radius.</ref>
===Design details===
The GAU/23 is a tri-barreled autocannon found equipped on many UNSC aircraft. It is capable of engaging a number of enemy units of various types, ranging from infantry, to armored vehicles and aircraft.{{Ref/Generic|[[Halo Wars Limited Edition]]|[[Personnel profile]] - [[Ellen Anders]]|LocalArchive=:File:HWDE Anders LeaderProfile.jpg}} The version mounted on Sparrowhawks can fire the full range of 20mm aircraft ammunition, though the standard loadout is either [[M718 SAPHEI]] or [[PGU-42/B API]], with a [[depleted uranium]] core.{{Ref/Site|Id=units|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-local-units|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Local Units|D=30|M=06|Y=2021}}
 
When mounted on certain variants of the AV-14 Hornet, the GAU/23 is mounted on the craft's chin as a rotary cannon. Two of the weapons can be mounted on the wingtips of the Sparrowhawk, while the AC-220 Vulture can host four wing-mounted guns.
 
==Operational history==
During the early [[Human-Covenant War]], the GAU/23 was mounted on variants of the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, AV-14 Hornet and AC-220 Vulture gunships employed by the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} during the [[Harvest campaign]], [[Battle for Arcadia]] and [[Battle of Trove]].{{Ref/Game|HW|In-game models}}
 
==Notes==
There is discrepancy among sources as to the GAU/23's ammunition type. The ''[[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]'' makes note that the GAU/23 fires [[:Wikipedia:.50 BMG|.50 BMG]] ammunition, which would make it [[12.7×99mm Armor-Piercing]] ammo similar to that used by the [[M41 Vulcan]]. The later ''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]'' indicates the weapon to fire 30mm ammunition, while a later [[Halo Waypoint]] [[Canon Fodder]] post focusing on the Sparrowhawk identifies the ammunition type as 20mm.{{Ref/Reuse|units}} This article assumes the latter source as definitive information.
 
Additionally, the described properties of the GAU/23 as seen on the Sparrowhawk and Hornet in ''Halo Wars'' do not match the appearance of the weapon used by the Vulture gunship. The former two aircraft use the GAU/23 as a tri-barrelled autocannon for light targets, while the Vulture appears to only have one barrel per weapon firing at a slow rate of fire.
 
==Trivia==
''[[Dirt]]'' makes mention of a chin-mounted machine gun on a Hornet aircraft, though it is unconfirmed if this is the GAU-23.{{Ref/Anthology|Evo|Dirt|Page=113}}
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:HWunit Hornet.png|A chin-mounted GAU/23 on an AV-14 Hornet.
File:HWunit Sparrowhawk.png|Dual-autocannons mounted on the wingtips of the AV-22 Sparrowhawk.
File:HaloWars-Vulture.png|Quad-autocannons mounted on the wings of the AC-220 Vulture.
File:HW VultureAutocannons.png|Close up of the quad-autocannons on the AC-220 Vulture.
</gallery>


==List of appearances==
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''  
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''  
*''[[Halo Wars 2]]''
 
==Note==
<references group="note"/>


==Sources==
==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
<references/>


{{UNSC heavy weapons}}
{{UNSC heavy weapons}}

Please note that all contributions to Halopedia are considered to be released under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license (see Halopedia:Copyrights for details). If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then don't submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource. Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

Cancel Editing help (opens in new window)

To view or search uploaded images go to the list of images. Uploads and deletions are also logged in the upload log. For help including images on a page see Help:Images. For a sound file, use this code: [[Media:File.ogg]].

Do not copy text from other websites without permission. It will be deleted.