General Facts
- TYPE
Gun pod - ORIGIN
Belgium - NICKNAMES
- - DESIGNED
Late 1970's - DESIGNER
Fabrique Nationale - PRODUCTION
1984 - present - PRODUCERS
Belgium - Fabrique Nationale - QUANTITY
Unknown - UNIT COST
Unknown - CHARACTERISTICS
Good firepower
Adaptable to most light aircraft
Limited weight
Optional combination with 70mm rockets
Ineffective against armored vehicles
Introduction
The HMP is a lightweight gun pod of Belgian origin. It was developed by Fabrique Nationale in the late 1970's for use on helicopters and subsonic aircraft. The name HMP stands for Heavy Machine gun Pod. A fairly recent development is the RMP, which stands for Rocket and Machine gun Pod and adds the ability to fire 70mm aerial rockets.
Design
The HMP pods have a fairly straighforward design. They consist of a metal cylinder with plastic front and rear covers. The single 12.7mm M3P heavy machine gun is solenoid fired and fitted fairly high in the middle of the pod. The linked ammunition is stored under the barrel. Depending on the design cases are ejected or stored while links are always stored. The RMP pod adds four launch tube for 70mm aerial rockets under the gun pod. The weapon is aimed by maneuvering the aircraft.
Firepower
The HMP pods are fitted with the 12.7mm M3P heavy machine gun and carry either 250 or 400 rounds of ammunition. The M3P has a rate of fire of about 1.075 rpm and may use any type of 12.7mm ammunition. The effective range is 3 km versus area targets and 1 km against single vehicles. The RMP pod adds four 70mm aerial rockets which makes the pod also effective against light armored vehicles.
Users
The HMP and its variant have been acquired by over 25 nations. The HMP has been certified for use on the BO-105, MD-520, Ecureuil, Bell 206, Bell 206, Bell 412, Lynx, BK-117, S-76, Super Puma and UH-60 Blackhawk. Fixed wing aircraft include the PC-7, PC-9, EMB-312 Tucano, TB-30 Epsilon and BN-2 Defender. Tests have been conducted on various other helicopters and aircraft.
Heavy Machine gun Pod
The HMP pods are fitted with a 12.7mm M3P heavy machine gun. Three versions are available. The designation HMP is followed by the number of rounds it carries and if it is fitted with a links collector (LC) or links and case collector (LCC).
HMP-250 LC: Original and most common variant which has a 250 round capacity and links collector. It is identified by its rounded nose cone.
HMP-400 LC: HMP model with 400 round capacity and links collector. It is identified by its squared rounded nose cone.
HMP-400 LCC: HMP-400 model with links and case collector. The case collector is located in the squared bulge below the pod.
- Specifications:
- HMP-250 LC
- HMP-400 LC
- HMP-400 LCC
Type | Gun pod |
---|---|
Platform | Aircraft, helicopters |
Length | 2.05 m |
Diameter | 0.41 m |
---|---|
Weight | 116.5 kg loaded |
Armament | 12.7mm M3P machine gun with 250 rounds |
Remarks | Mach 0.75 maximum speed, 355 mm lug spacing |
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Type | Gun pod |
---|---|
Platform | Aircraft, helicopters |
Length | 2.12 m |
Diameter | 0.41 m |
---|---|
Weight | 138 kg loaded |
Armament | 12.7mm M3P machine gun with 400 rounds |
Remarks | Mach 0.70 maximum speed, 355 mm lug spacing |
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Type | Gun pod |
---|---|
Platform | Aircraft, helicopters |
Length | 2.12 m |
Diameter | 0.41 m wide, 0.45 m tall |
---|---|
Weight | 138 kg loaded |
Armament | 12.7mm M3P machine gun with 400 rounds |
Remarks | Mach 0.75 maximum speed, 355 mm lug spacing |
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Rocket Machine gun Pod
The RMP pod is a derivative of the HMP-250 LC pod with four 70mm aerial rocket tubes fitted side by side under the pod. Only a single RMP model is available.
RMP LC: HMP-250 LC pod with four 70mm tubes mounted underneath.
- Specifications:
- RMP LC
Type | Gun / rocket pod |
---|---|
Platform | Aircraft, helicopters |
Length | 1.935 mm |
Diameter | 0.42 m wide, 0.453 m tall |
---|---|
Weight | 160 kg loaded |
Armament | 12.7mm M3P machine gun with 250 rounds 4x 70mm rocket |
Remarks | Mach 0.75 maximum speed, 355 mm lug spacing |
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