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 straightforward 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.

Platforms

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.

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).

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.