ASP 30mm Cannon

[TiggerCCW UK]

I remember reading about this weapon several years ago and I'm unsure if it ever went into production. As I understood it, it is essentially the chaingun off an Apache AH-64 configured for use in a ground role and could be used on any mount or tripod capable of taking an M2 .50 machine gun. I reckon this could greatly increase the fire power of a HMMWV or similar mounting it in place of a regular mg. Did it go into production/service? Could chain guns from damaged/unservicable AH-64's be modified to this configuration?

[pmulcahy11b]

23 prototypes were produced, but in 2003, the DoD killed the program for the US military. It is, however, still offered for sale, though no one has bitten yet.

The original idea was to base the ASP-30 on the M-230 Chaingun of the Apache, but they quickly found out that such a design would be too heavy and the electrical drive would limit the types of mountings that could be used. They then essentially started all over with a gas-operated design. The ASP-30 still uses the M-230's ammunition.

But could someone figure out how to ground-mount an M-230 in T2K? I'll bet some crazy armorer might come up with a way to do that. In that world, people are going to have to figure out how to use anything that is still around.

[Targan]

I have the ASP 30 in my campaign. Canon says the US Marines fielded them.

Also in my campaign the PCs' party once encountered a village in southern Poland where the pilot of a crashed Apache had helped the villagers mount the chaingun from his helo on a cherry picker. The villagers would raise the weapon above the top of their pallisade when it was needed. The pilot eventually died from the effects of his injuries.

[pmulcahy11b]

OK, I'm watching Futureweapons on the Military Channel -- and someone (I didn't hear the company) has mated the M-230 to a CROWS station!