Aircraft & UAVs

SUU-11 7.62 mm machine-gun pod

Also known as
  • 7.62 mm machine-gun pod
  • 7.62 mm minigun pod
  • SUU-11
  • SUU-11/A
  • SUU-11A/A
  • SUU-11B/A
  • XM18
  • M18
  • M18A1
  • M18 armament pod
  • M18A1 armament pod
  • XM18E1
  • M134 gun pod
  • GAU-2/A gun pod

The SUU-11 7.62 mm machine-gun pod was a self-contained external aircraft gun pod built around the General Electric GAU-2/M134 minigun family. It gave trainers, light attack aircraft, and gunship conversions a podded high-rate 7.62 mm weapon, with documented U.S. Navy OV-10 Bronco carriage in the Vietnam War and later training fits on aircraft such as the AT-38B Talon and Aero L-29 Delfin.

SUU-11 7.62 mm machine-gun pod, Self-contained underwing gun pod, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Commons SUU-11 in AC-47

Role in Conflicts

1955 Vietnam War
Fire Support
Side
United States and South Vietnam

U.S. Navy VAL-4 OV-10A Broncos carried SUU-11 7.62 mm minigun pods in attack and escort roles over South Vietnam during the war.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Self-contained underwing gun pod
Service note
Cold War-era aircraft armament fit retained on trainer and light attack aircraft

Specifications

Caliber
7.62 mm
Installation
Underwing or weapons-pylon mounted pod
Aircraft use
Weapons training, close air support, and light attack
Gun
M134 / GAU-2-family 7.62 mm six-barrel minigun
Ammunition capacity
1,500 rounds
Feed system
Single-ended linkless feed with drum ammunition storage
Firing rate
Variant-dependent; Army M18/M18A1 data lists 2,000 or 4,000 shots per minute, while the SUU-11B/A sheet lists 3,000 or 6,000 rounds per minute
Dimensions
85 in length; 12 in diameter for M18/M18A1 in U.S. Army FM 1-40
Suspension
14-inch suspension-lug spacing for bomb-rack or pylon carriage
Power
Self-contained pod power on M18, with aircraft-power assistance on the M18A1/SUU-11B/A improvement
Weight
About 240-245 lb empty / 320-325 lb loaded depending on source and pod configuration
Related weapon family
GAU-2B/A / SUU-11 series gun pod
Pod Configuration

The SUU-11/M18 family packaged the 7.62 mm minigun, feed path, ammunition drum, and pod structure as an aircraft store rather than a fixed gun installation.

Ammunition

Army manual data lists a 1,500-round linkless drum feeding the M134 through a gear-driven system.

Aircraft Fit

The AT-38B source identifies a SUU-11A/A 7.62 mm gun pod as a weapons-pylon option; other sources document underwing or external carriage on light attack aircraft.

Designation Scope

The page groups SUU-11/A, SUU-11A/A, SUU-11B/A, M18, and M18A1 references where sources describe the same 7.62 mm pod family.

Variants

The catalog entry covers the SUU-11/M18 pod family rather than a single aircraft installation; U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force designations describe closely related pod generations.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
XM18 / SUU-11/AEarly self-contained pod

Baseline pod family using the GAU-2/M134 7.62 mm minigun and an internal ammunition drum.

Sources: ASSIST MAU-57A/A document details, GAU-2/A and SUU-11/A

XM18E1 / M18 / SUU-11A/AImproved pod

DLA and Army manual sources identify M18 and SUU-11A/A as 7.62 mm aircraft machine-gun pod designations using the pod ammunition and feed system.

Sources: ASSIST MAU-57A/A document details, U.S. Army FM 1-40 M18 and M18A1 pods

M18A1 / SUU-11B/ADual-rate modification

DLA and Army manual sources identify M18A1 and SUU-11B/A as later 7.62 mm pod designations; FM 1-40 lists dual-rate controls and a 1,500-round linkless drum for the M18/M18A1 pod.

Sources: MIL-L-45963 MAU-69A/A loader, U.S. Army FM 1-40 M18 and M18A1 pods, 7.62mm SUU-11B-A Minigun Pod

Carrier Aircraft

Sources connect the pod family to armed trainers, light attack aircraft, and helicopters. The linked aircraft below have catalog records and direct source support for the relationship.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
AW-109, Light twin-engine attack and utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAW-109Armed helicopter

GlobalSecurity lists the A109 with twin 7.62 mm machine-gun pods as an armament option.

Sources: GlobalSecurity A109 specifications

Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, Light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsCessna A-37 DragonflyLight attack aircraft

The A-37 is documented as carrying one 7.62 mm machine-gun pod on each underwing pylon station.

Sources: The World Air Forces - Internet Archive

OV-10 Bronco, Twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsOV-10 BroncoLight attack and observation aircraft

U.S. Naval Institute history describes VAL-4 OV-10 aircraft carrying SUU-11 7.62 mm minigun pods in Vietnam attack and escort missions.

Sources: USNI Low Slow Plane

Aero L-29 Delfin, Jet trainer and light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAero L-29 DelfinJet trainer and light attack aircraft

Skytamer and museum sources describe the L-29 as carrying two 7.62 mm machine-gun pods under the wings for weapons-training and light-attack use.

Sources: Skytamer L-29 Delfin

Timeline

SUU-11 7.62 mm machine-gun pod Key Events

  1. GAU-2/M134 family enters service

    NavWeaps lists the 7.62 mm GAU-2B/A, Navy GAU-17/A, and Army M134 minigun family as entering service in 1965.

  2. VAL-4 deploys OV-10 Broncos with SUU-11 pods

    U.S. Naval Institute history describes VAL-4 OV-10 aircraft in South Vietnam carrying SUU-11 7.62 mm minigun pods in attack and escort roles.

  3. Army manual documents M18/M18A1 pod data

    FM 1-40 described the M18 and M18A1 armament pods as integrated aerodynamic weapon systems with a 1,500-round linkless drum and dual-rate M134 firing data.

Media

SUU-11 7.62 mm machine-gun pod Videos

SUU-11 7.62 mm machine-gun pod Images

SUU-11 7.62 mm machine-gun pod, Self-contained underwing gun pod, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: Commons Miniguns and Snoopy
Related Weapon Systems
Aero L-29 Delfin, Jet trainer and light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsAero L-29 DelfinJet trainer and light attack aircraftThe Aero L-29 Delfin is a Czechoslovak two-seat jet trainer built by Aero Vodochody and Let Kunovice for Warsaw Pact and export air forces. Its simple, rugged design was optimized for basic, intermediate, and weapons training, with underwing stores for gun pods, light bombs, or unguided rockets. Azerbaijani forces pressed L-29s into ground-attack service during the 1988 First Nagorno-Karabakh War, where the lightly protected trainers suffered repeated losses to Armenian air defenses.
OV-10 Bronco, Twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsOV-10 BroncoTwin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraftThe OV-10 Bronco is a U.S.-designed twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft built around short-field counterinsurgency, forward air control, armed reconnaissance, and limited ground attack. It served with U.S. forces in Vietnam and Desert Storm, reappeared in a 2015 counter-ISIS light-attack trial, and remained useful to the Philippine Air Force at Marawi because it could deliver bombs in close support of troops fighting through dense urban terrain.

Sources

7.62mm SUU-11B-A Minigun PodPublisher: AC-119 Gunship Association | Note: Supports the General Electric SUU-11B/A pod's 7.62 mm GAU-2B/A minigun fit, 1,500-round ammunition capacity, selectable 3,000/6,000 rpm firing rate, and loaded/empty weight. | Accessed: 2026-07-04GAU-2/A and SUU-11/APublisher: Designation-Systems.Net | Note: Supports the General Electric origin of the GAU-2/A 7.62 mm six-barrel minigun used in the SUU-11/A pod family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04AT-38B TalonPublisher: National Museum of the United States Air Force | Note: Supports the pod's use on an AT-38B weapons pylon and its role as a 7.62 mm gun pod for training and light attack. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Air Force Magazine Gallery of ClassicsPublisher: Air & Space Forces Magazine | Note: Supports the SUU-11B/A gun-pod designation and the associated GAU-2B/A 7.62 mm minigun family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Skytamer L-29 DelfinPublisher: Skytamer Images | Note: Supports the L-29 relationship claim that underwing hardpoints could carry two 7.62 mm machine-gun pods. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The World Air Forces - Internet ArchivePublisher: Internet Archive | Note: Supports the A-37 underwing carriage of one 7.62 mm machine-gun pod. | Accessed: 2026-07-04GlobalSecurity A109 specificationsPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the A109 carrying twin 7.62 mm machine-gun pods as an armament option. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USNI Low Slow PlanePublisher: U.S. Naval Institute | Note: Supports direct 1955 Vietnam War use and the OV-10 relationship by describing VAL-4 OV-10 aircraft carrying SUU-11 7.62 mm minigun pods in attack and escort roles in South Vietnam. | Accessed: 2026-07-04ASSIST MAU-57A/A document detailsPublisher: Defense Logistics Agency ASSIST QuickSearch | Note: Supports MAU-57A/A feed-mechanism use on 7.62 mm aircraft machine-gun pods including M18, SUU-11A/A, and SUU-11B/A. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MIL-L-45963 MAU-69A/A loaderPublisher: Department of Defense / Defense Logistics Agency ASSIST | Note: Supports MAU-69A/A delinking-loader use with M18, M18A1, SUU-11A/A, and SUU-11B/A 7.62 mm aircraft machine-gun pods. | Accessed: 2026-07-04U.S. Army FM 1-40 M18 and M18A1 podsPublisher: U.S. Army | Note: Supports M18/M18A1 armament-pod configuration, 1,500-round capacity, dimensions, suspension spacing, linkless feed, M134 gun fit, and SUU-11A/A and SUU-11B/A Air Force designation notes. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Commons SUU-11 in AC-47Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the SUU-11 gun-pod image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Commons Miniguns and SnoopyPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the alternate gun-pod image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04