The Commando552/Sandbox is an electrically operated machine gun developed by Hughes Tool Company intended for mounting to aircraft and armoured vehicles. The EX-34 uses the same operating system as the other "chain guns" developed by Hughes, chiefly the 30mm M230 and the M242 Bushmaster, whereby an electric motor drives a chain running around the perimeter of the receiver to cycle the bolt carrier back and forth. This makes for an incredibly simple and reliable operating cycle in a compact package making the chain gun seemingly a good choice for aerial and armoured use. When used in the aerial role the EX-34 was fitted with a short barrel jacket similar to that of the Browning M2 and could be used in either a fixed mounting or in a flexible door gun mount with the addition of spade grips at the rear. For armoured use it was fitted with a full length barrel shroud which incorporated a forward ejection chute so that spent or misfired rounds (along with the majority of propellant gasses) would be deposited outside the vehicle rather than collecting inside.
Despite the success of its larger brothers, the EX-34 was not selected for any US military vehicles and saw only a few small export sales. However, the weapon was selected by the British military who domestically produced a long barrelled version designated the L94A1 for use inside several armoured vehicles, most notable the FV4034 Challenger 2 main battle tank and the FV510 Warrior infantry fighting vehicle. The original short barrelled version was designated as the L95A1 and was acquired in small numbers, however it is unclear if it was ever fitted to anything. Both the aerial and armoured versions were also produced in Canada by Diemaco (later Colt Canada) where is was designated the CG 7.62, but once again it was not official adopted for military use. More recently Orbital ATK have reintroduced a version of the EX-34 as the 7.62mm Bushmaster Chain Gun
Specifications
(1980s - present)
- Type: Machine Gun
- Country of Origin: USA
- Caliber: 7.61x51mm NATO
- Weight: 29 lbs (13.2 kg) / L94A1:39.4 lbs (17.9 kg)
- Length: 35 in (88.9 cm) / L94A1:49.2 in (125 cm)
- Barrel Length: 22 in (55.9 cm) / L94A1:27.7 in (70.3 cm)
- Feed System: M13 disintegrating link belt
- Fire Modes: Electrically variable from single shot to 600 rounds per minute
The Commando552/Sandbox and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title
|
Actor
|
Character
|
Note
|
Date
|
| [[<title>]] |
[[<actor name>]] |
<character name> |
<note if applicable> |
<year of release>
|
| [[<title>]] |
[[<actor name>]] |
<character name> |
<note if applicable> |
<year of release>
|
Television
| Title
|
Actor
|
Character
|
Note / Episode
|
Date
|
| Red Cap |
|
|
L94A1, coaxially mounted on FV510 Warrior ISV and FV4034 Challenger 2 |
2003 - 2004
|
| Soldier Soldier |
|
|
L94A1, coaxially mounted on FV510 Warrior ISV and cupola mounted on FV512 Warrior MCRV |
1991 - 1997
|
Anime
| Title
|
Character
|
Note / Episode
|
Date
|
| [[<title>]] |
<character name> |
<note if applicable> / "<episode name>" (<episode number>) |
<year of release>
|
| [[<title>]] |
<character name> |
<note if applicable> / "<episode name>" (<episode number>) |
<year of release>
|
Video Games
| Title
|
Appears as
|
Mods
|
Note
|
Date
|
| [[<title>]] |
<name the gun appears as within the game> |
<modification it can be fitted with if applicable> |
<note if applicable> |
<year of release>
|
| [[<title>]] |
<name the gun appears as within the game> |
<modifications it can be fitted with if applicable> |
<note if applicable> |
<year of release>
|
