What cannon does the Fairchild A-10 carry?

Short answer

A General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger: a seven-barrel, hydraulically driven, 30 mm Gatling-type automatic cannon, mounted mainly — and most famously — on the US Air Force's Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. Its rate of fire is a variable 3,900 rounds per minute.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What cannon does the Fairchild A-10 carry?

Dassault Dornier Alpha Jet of the Patrouille de France, file image: La Ferté-Alais 2025Kilyann Le Hen (CC BY), vía commons

A seven-barrel Gatling

The General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm, hydraulically driven, seven-barrel Gatling-type automatic cannon, mounted mainly — and most famously — on the US Air Force's Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. The Avenger delivers 30 mm rounds at a high, variable rate of fire, rated at 3,900 rounds per minute.

A weapon that shapes the aircraft

Once complete, the full GAU-8 assembly, properly designated the A/A 49E-6 weapon system, accounts for around 17% of the A-10's empty weight. Because the cannon plays an important role in maintaining the aircraft's balance and center of gravity, a jack must be placed under the tail whenever the gun is removed. The ammunition drum alone measures 34.5 in (88 cm) in diameter and 71.5 in (1.82 m) in length.