CIWS is not a “Machine Gun”. Come on CNN. Don’t Be Sloppy with Facts.

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brockrwood

brockrwood

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brockrwood said:
CNN reporter refers to US Navy destroyer’s CIWS as a “machine gun” in article about Houthi rebel cruise missile shoot down.

Please. The CIWS (which looks a little like a cartoon “Minion”) is a 20mm, radar guided, Gatling gun autocannon.

Machine gun. Please.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/01/31/politics/us-warship-close-call-houthi-missile/index.html
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proper modern term is a rotary cannon or rotary autocannon, though a gatling cannon is also correct.
 
Don Henly of the Eagles band had it entirely correct in the lyrics to his song "Dirty laundry".

quote

"Well, I coulda been an actor
But I wound up here
I just have to look good
I don't have to be clear"

unquote


Facts dont matter those people, man. :(
 
SolarYellow said:
You seriously expect any CNN reporter to know anything about guns? Heck, the last time I paid any attention, they had an "expert" in who was completely wrong about the guns he was talking about.
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Like the one showing a watermelon being blown apart by an AR15 that was really a 12 gauge semiauto shotgun. Yeah, most reporters dont know squat about guns or weapons systems.
 
You have to think about the role of a journalist: to extract the essential facts of the story from the source and present them to the viewers, not to be an expert themselves.

You also have to think about the popular conception of a cannon. It usually centers on Napoleonic-style field guns or perhaps more modern artillery pieces, not rotary cannons or autocannon systems. Those more closely fit the popular conception of a machine gun, this particular example is just upsized and remotely operated.

This is probably the idea that this reporter is bringing into the conversation. If a display of the ammunition size and function isn’t part of the conversation or background research, that’s an easy mistake to make.

IMG_0791.jpeg
 
brockrwood said:
To me, a “machine gun” is something .50 caliber or less with one barrel. This is a 20mm cannon. In fact it is a revolving 20mm autocannon with multiple barrels.
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In general, I go by the definitions used by Bubba's Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Emporium. Except bump stocks. That there is some nonsense to call those machine guns. Even if you hate guns and everything about them, if you care about rule of law, you should find the "reasoning" behind that one abhorrent.
 
smstachwick said:
You have to think about the role of a journalist: to extract the essential facts of the story from the source and present them to the viewers, not to be an expert themselves.

You also have to think about the popular conception of a cannon. It usually centers on Napoleonic-style field guns or perhaps more modern artillery pieces, not rotary cannons or autocannon systems. Those more closely fit the popular conception of a machine gun, this particular example is just upsized and remotely operated.

This is probably the idea that this reporter is bringing into the conversation. If a display of the ammunition size and function isn’t part of the conversation or background research, that’s an easy mistake to make.
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Now there is understanding of the reality involved.
 
Lord Rory Gin said:
This IS me being calm. You don't want to see me riled up! Doing a job properly means doing it accurately; both attributes that have taken a nosedive in recent years.

:D:D:D
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*sigh*

I think we’re missing the point here. The story is about an attack on a U.S. Navy vessel that almost succeeded. The importance is explained in the article.

“The episode underscores the threat the Houthis continue to pose to US naval assets and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, despite multiple US and British strikes on Houthi infrastructure inside Yemen.”

That, the most essential takeaway, is correct. The details of the CIWS’s classification and caliber aren’t particularly important.

The article also goes on to explain the background of the conflict, how the cruise missile got so close, the implications of that, and the next steps that the Navy plans to take in light of this incident.

Overall grade: B+. Not perfect but all of the important bits appear to be in order.
 
It's a type of machine gun. If you can call a tanks gun a gun, you can call the rotary cannon a machine gun.
 
'Way back in 1974, on an ROTC visit to Nellis AFB, I got to talk to an F-111 pilot that had experience with a similar 6000 round/minute gatling gun. He said it's like having a solid rod of rounds sticking out of the front of your aircraft! I don't recall if any variant of the F-111 had a gatling gun, but he had experience with it somewhere.
 
Blast it Tom! said:
'Way back in 1974, on an ROTC visit to Nellis AFB, I got to talk to an F-111 pilot that had experience with a similar 6000 round/minute gatling gun. He said it's like having a solid rod of rounds sticking out of the front of your aircraft! I don't recall if any variant of the F-111 had a gatling gun, but he had experience with it somewhere.
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Apparently the F-111 had the capability to carry a Vulcan cannon in a weapons bay, but it wasn’t often fitted on missions, given its typical role as a bomb truck.
 
Well there is a Gatling gun as a component of the CIWS. Current terminology seems to use "gun" for .50 cal and under, and "cannon" for 20mm and bigger except that aren't these rotary things called "miniguns"? I wonder what the manufacturer calls it. It seems that these rotary things blur the lines though. (Do we call it "engine" or "motor"?)
As far as "machine gun"- the definition set forth by congress in the 1934 NFA says something like fires multiple cartridges for one pull of the trigger. Does the rotary gizmo in the CIWS even have a trigger? I guess it has a solenoid maybe. I always wondered how a real Gatling gun was classified- it doesn't have a trigger and requires cranking of the crank to make it keep firing.
 

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