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Browning M3
The Browning M3 or .50 AN/M3 (not to be confused with the 20mm AN/M3) aircraft gun is an extensively modified Browning M2 aircraft gun that could be fired remotely by the pilot or gunner of a jet aircraft, helicopter or light fixed-wing aircraft. The gun is distinguished by a massive pneumatic buffer at the rear of the receiver and a muzzle booster cap at the end of the barrel jacket. The gun was extensively used on late 1940s and early 1950s fighters until supplanted by 20mm cannons. No sights are furnished on the gun because the sights are considered a part of the airplane. Changes to the M3 gun relative to the M2 are: the bolt assembly, oil buffer body, and barrel extension are modified. Some versions were electrically boosted and so did not have the muzzle recoil booster. The pneumatic buffer on the M3 is designed to absorb the greater recoil forces attendant to the gun's higher cyclic rate. The most famous use of the M3 was by the American F-86 Sabres against the Communist MiG-15s during the Korean War. Also used by the F-80, F-84, F-94, T-33, B-45, B-52 (with the exception of the H model, which used the M61 Vulcan), UH-1, and HH-53.
A new version of the M3 called the M3M made by Fabrique Nationale has been adopted as the GAU-21 by the US Military for use in aircraft and anti-aircraft vehicles. It will be capable of being mounted on each of the following aircraft CH-46, CH-47, CH-53, H-60, UH-1, and MV-22. Also mounted on M1097 Avenger HMMWV.
Specifications
Browning M3 Aircraft
Type: Heavy Machine Gun
Caliber: .50 BMG
Capacity: Belt-Fed
Fire Modes: Fully Automatic (1150-1250 rounds per minute)
FN GAU-21 Aircraft
Type: Heavy Machine Gun
Caliber: .50 BMG
Capacity: Belt-Fed
Fire Modes: Fully Automatic (950-1150 rounds per minute)
The Browning M3 heavy machine gun appears in the following films used by the following actors
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jet Pilot | USAF pilots | Mounted in nose section of F-94 Starfires | 1957 | |
| The Hunters | Robert Mitchum | Maj. Cleve Saville | Mounted in nose section of F-86 Sabre | 1958 |
| The Hunters | USAF pilots | Mounted in nose section of F-86 Sabres | 1958 | |
| Kissin' Cousins | Mounted on F-86 Sabre | 1964 | ||
| Sheena: Queen of the Jungle | Mercenary pilots | Mounted on Bell Jet Ranger | 1984 | |
| The Detached Mission (Odinochnoye plavanye) | In tail mounting on B-52; seen in documentary footage | 1985 | ||
| Iron Eagle II | USAF pilots | Mounted in tail of B-52D Stratofortress | 1988 | |
| Return from the River Kwai | Mounted on unidentified American and Japanese planes | 1989 | ||
| By Dawn's Early Light | Ronald Willam Lawrence | Hooker | Mounted in tail of B-52G Stratofortress | 1990 |
| Fire Birds | Bert Rhine | Eric Stoller | Mounted in SUU-12/A gun pod on "Scorpion attack helicopter" | 1990 |
| The Siege | US Army soldier | Mounted on Cadillac-Gage Commando APC | 1998 | |
| Supreme Sanction | Mounted on MD 500; Footage from Fire Birds | 1999 | ||
| Iron Man | FN GAU-21; Mounted on HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter | 2008 | ||
| Rambo | Sylvester Stallone | Rambo | 2008 | |
| Battle: Los Angeles | US Marines | Door-mounted on UH-1N Huey helicopter | 2011 | |
| Battleship | US Marines | 2012 | ||
| Captain Phillips | US Navy crewmen | Door-mounted on SH-60 Seahawk helicopter | 2013 | |
| War for the Planet of the Apes | Alpha/Omega solider | FN GAU-21 | 2017 |
Television
| Show Title / Episode | Actor | Character | Note | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lock 'n Load With R. Lee Ermey / Ep. 5: "Helicopters" | — | — | Mounted on Huey and Kiowa Warrior helicopters | . |
Video Games
| Game Title | Referred as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield 2 | Mounted on EC635, in HMP-400 gun pod | 2005 | ||
| Project Reality | Mounted on EC635 in HMP-400 gun pod, M1097 "Avenger" humvee, UH-1N Huey, MV-22 Osprey, CH-47 Chinook, and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior | 2005 | ||
| Battlefield 2042 | Mounted on B-17 Bomber | 2021 |
Animation
| Film Title | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Iron Giant | USAF pilots | Mounted in F-86 Sabres | 1999 |
See Also
- Browning Arms Company - A list of all firearms manufactured by Browning.
- FN Herstal - A list of all firearms manufactured by FN Herstal.