EX-17 Heligun

The Hughes EX-17 "Heligun" is a double-barrel 7.62 mm calibre machine gun.^[1][2][3] The weapon is gas-operated and was developed by Hughes Aircraft for use in the OH-6 recon helicopter.^[1]

EX-17 Heligun
Type	Machine gun
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Manufacturer	Hughes Aircraft Company
Specifications
Mass	13,6– 15 kg
Length	760 mm
Cartridge	7.62×51mm NATO
Caliber	7.62 mm
Barrels	2
Action	Gas operated
Rate of fire	4000-6000 rpm
Feed system	Belt
Sights	7

Overview

The Heligun was developed by Hughes Aircraft as part of a complete package for the OH-6 recon helicopter. It offered a number of significant advantages over the M134 Minigun – it weighs less, it was self-powered (not electrically driven), and a 6000RPM firing rate. Ultimately, it was not adopted because the reliability (mean time between stoppages) could not be brought up to par, and US Army officials decided that it did not offer enough improvement over the already adopted M134 Minigun to be worth the switch.