May 7, 2018
Phantom gets a gun (pod)
Originally the F-4 was designed without a gun, a flaw that was later fixed on the F-4E model. The pod was an intermediate fix to the gun issue. There were two types of pods: SUU-16/A and 23/A, which only the latter one was internally powered (also in the picture). SUU-16 used a ram-air turbine (a push out propeller) to rotate the gun.
Ammo was stored in the back end of the pod and ejected out of the gun as it was fired. There were a few issues with the pods as usual as some of the 20mm rounds kept exploding in front of the aircraft, hitting them with shrapnel. Some guns jammed after just one round and were called the “1000-lb singe-shot rifle”.