Polish Company Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów manufacturer of handguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles and anti-aircraft machine guns presents the WLKM, a new 12.7mm multi-barrel machine gun at MSPO 2017, the International Defense Industry Exhibition.
WLKM 12.7mm four-barreled machine gun at MSPO 2017, the International Defense Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland.
The Multi-Barrel Machine Gun WLKM machine gun is an externally driven electric-powered Gatling-style gun fed by 12,7 mm x 99 NATO (.50 BMG) ammunition fixed in a NATO standard M9 disintegrating linked belt.
The WLKM is a four-barreled air cooled, medium machine gun which can be used against ground and aerial targets as light armoured vehicles and helicopters. It has a rate of fire of 3,600 rounds per minute.
The WLKM can be used as the armament for the turret of helicopter or integrated in air pod systems as well on board of combat vehicles, vessels and mounted on stationary weapon station.
The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyclic multi-barrel design which facilitated cooling and synchronized the firing-reloading sequence. Each barrel fired a single shot when it reached a certain point in the cycle, after which it ejected the spent cartridge, loaded a new round, and, in the process, allowed the barrel to cool somewhat. This configuration allowed higher rates of fire to be achieved without the barrels overheating.
The WLKM has a weight of 50 kg and can be used to fire at a maximum range of 2,200 m. It has a maximum length of 1,300mm and a barrel length of 900mm.
