The M621 is a
20 mm automatic cannon
An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large- caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles ( bu ...
of French design, developed by
Nexter
Nexter Systems (formerly known as GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Roanne, Loire.
Group organization
The Nexter group is ...
as on-board armament for armored vehicles, aircraft, helicopters and small coastal vessels of the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
.
Variants
THL 20
Turreted cannon for helicopters.
POD NC 621
Cannon pod for helicopters and light aircraft.
ARX 20
Remotely controlled weapon station with M621 and a 7.62×51mm machinegun.
SH20
Door mounted cannon for helicopters.
CP 20
Pintle-mounted cannon for vehicles and boats.
15A
Cannon for naval ships.
NARWHAL
As remote-controlled naval gun on the
Nexter Narwhal
The Nexter Narwhal is a type of remotely operated naval artillery turret made by the French company Nexter. It houses a 20 mm autocannon based on the Nexter M621 and M693. The name "Narwhal" is a backronym of "NAval Remote Weapon, Highly Accura ...
20A.
NARWHAL
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See also
*GIAT 30
The GIAT 30 is a series of 30 mm cannon developed to replace the DEFA 550 series weapons on French military aircraft.
Introduced in the late 1980s, the GIAT 30 is a revolver cannon with electric ignition and automatic recocking. Unlike the DE ...
*20 mm modèle F2 gun
The 20 mm modèle F2 gun is a naval defence weapon used by the French Navy. It was developed from the GIAT M693, itself derived from Hispano-Suiza HS.820. It fires the same 20×139 mm round.
History
The need for a newer 20 mm def ...
References
20 mm artillery
Aircraft guns
Autocannon
Artillery of France
Nexter Systems
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