The NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) Mechanicsburg site recently acquired a M61A1 20mm Gatling gun from Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake, California.
The 20mm Vulcan Gatling gun system is used on the F/A-18 Hornet Strike fighter, from the original “A” model aircraft up to the current configured E/F aircraft. The weapon system has been part of the Navy and Marine Corps’ numerous air wings whose names include VFA-125, the “Rough Raiders,” VFA-97, the “Warhawks,” and VFA-94, the “Mighty Shrikes.”
The weapon system was disarmed and placed at Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana, in May 2007, and then moved to NAWS China Lake in 2012 before being transferred to the NAVSUP WSS Mechanicsburg site in 2015.
The weapon is appropriately being displayed within the Expeditionary branch, where one of the programs is responsible for the supply support of all the airborne weapon systems and related parts for both the fixed and rotary wing aircraft currently flying within the Navy and Marine Corps.
The display not only showcases one of the Navy’s critical weapon systems but also serves as a piece of history.
A field activity of the Naval Supply Systems Command, NAVSUP WSS is the U.S. Navy’s supply chain manager providing worldwide support to the aviation, surface ship, and submarine communities.
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Image: US Navy