The Konami LaserScope is a head-mounted light gun used with and licensed for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console .
51-639: It was designed for the game Laser Invasion (known as Gun Sight in Japan), but works with any game compatible with the NES Zapper . In the United States, Laser Invasion came with a coupon for a $ 5 discount for the LaserScope. It is voice-activated, firing a shot whenever the wearer says "fire" (although some reviewers criticized its ability to do so). The headset also includes an eyepiece with
102-544: A foreign object damage hazard with discarded links. A linkless ammunition feed system was developed for the upgraded M61A1 , which subsequently became the standard cannon armament of U.S. fighters. In 1993, General Electric sold its aerospace division, including GE Armament Systems along with the design and production tooling for the M61 and GE's other rotary cannon, to Martin Marietta . After Martin's merger with Lockheed ,
153-685: A 23 mm shell which entered one side of his cockpit and exited the other. When the VPAF MiG flew in front of him after making its pass, Tracy opened fire on it. The gun was installed in the Air Force's A-7D version of the LTV A-7 Corsair II where it replaced the earlier United States Navy A-7's Colt Mk 12 cannon and was adopted by the Navy on the A-7C and A-7E. It was integrated into
204-410: A burst controller is generally used to limit the number of rounds fired at each trigger pull. Bursts of from two or three up to 40 or 50 can be selected. The size of the airframe and available internal space limits the size of the ammunition drum and thus limits the ammunition capacity. When vehicle-mounted, the only limiting factor is the vehicle's safe carry weight, so commensurately larger ammo storage
255-567: A combat helicopter before landing on a heliport and infiltrating the enemy base on foot. Each mission begins with the player being asked to choose what kind of missiles to equip their helicopter with. The player can choose between 40 small missiles, 20 medium missiles, and 10 large missiles (giving the player a choice between greater quantity, greater firepower, or a balance between both). The player will then choose what kind of optional equipment to add to their helicopter (extra fuel, chaff grenades, or ground missiles). After its equipment has been chosen,
306-564: A crosshair that sits in front of the wearer's right eye. The LaserScope is powered through the audio port of the NES, allowing it to function as headphones for the NES. The LaserScope received negative reviews for its poor microphone technology; users complained that saying anything into the microphone would cause the LaserScope to fire, including background noise. The complaint was humorized in James Rolfe 's Angry Video Game Nerd series, in
357-437: A first-person exploration mode. In this mode, the player must navigate their character throughout the interior corridor of an enemy base to obtain vital items, including additional ammunition and health-restoring rations, while avoiding traps. Sometimes, the player will encounter their ally Spider, who will offer player information on how to complete their objective. When the player encounters enemy soldiers in these, it switches to
408-681: A force of 10 North American F-100 Super Sabres (two of which were assigned weather reconnaissance duties) escorting 48 Vulcan-armed and "bomb-laden" F-105 Thunderchiefs , shooting down two of the latter. The MiG leader and only survivor from the four MiGs, Captain Tran Hanh, reported that U.S. jets had pursued them and that F-105s had shot down three of his aircraft, killing lieutenants Pham Giay, Le Minh Huan and Tran Nguyen Nam. Captain Donald Kilgus, piloting an F-100, received an official probable kill with his four M39 20 mm cannons during
459-483: A gun-shooting mode similar to the gun-shooting segments until all enemies are defeated. After the player has gotten what they needed to complete their mission, they must leave the base from where they began. The bottom part of the screen displays the player's map (which shows the areas that have been explored and the player's current position), their remaining health and ammo, and all the items they have collected. The Japanese Family Computer version, Gun Sight , includes
510-504: A hydraulic drive motor through a system of flexible drive shafts. The round is fired by an electric priming system where an electric current from a firing lead passes through the firing pin to the primer as each round is rotated into the firing position. The self-powered version, the GAU-4 (called M130 in Army service), is gas-operated , tapping gun gas from three of the six barrels to operate
561-488: A limited period. When the player lands into an enemy heliport, their character will dismount from his helicopter and proceed to enter the perimeter of the enemy's base. The action in this segments are more straightforward, as the screen scrolls automatically to the right while several kinds of enemy soldiers attack the player. The player must attack all enemy soldiers who appear by shooting them with their handgun as they would in any other light gun shooting game. The bottom of
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#1732780524649612-418: A member of a special armed force, the player's objective is to prevent the enemy from launching their weapon. The player's initial objective is to rescue a covert agent codenamed Spider, who has been captured in one of the enemy's bases. The game is composed of four missions with three different playing styles. The first is to come to the enemy area with an upgraded AH-64 Apache . Before each mission begins,
663-515: A much higher volume of fire. While captured German designs (principally the Mauser MG 213C ) showed the potential of the single-barrel revolver cannon , the practical rate of fire of such a design was still limited by ammunition feed and barrel wear concerns. The Army wanted something better, combining an extremely high rate of fire with exceptional reliability. In 1947, the Air Force became
714-560: A password feature that allows the player to begin at later missions. In contrast, the American NES version increased the number of continues from three to five and allows the player to adjust the starting number of lives from the default three to five. The Japanese version did not include support for the LaserScope, only allowing the player to use the standard controller or the Famicom's light gun. M61 Vulcan The M61 Vulcan
765-533: A separate branch of the military. The new Air Force made a request for a new aircraft gun. A lesson of World War II air combat was that German, Italian, and Japanese fighters could attack American aircraft from long range with their cannon main armament. American fighters with .50 caliber (12.7 mm) main armament, such as the P-51 and P-47 , had to be close to enemy aircraft in order to hit and damage them. The 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano cannon carried by
816-455: A six-barrel weapon capable of firing 7,200 rounds per minute (rpm). Although European designers were moving towards heavier 30 mm (1.181 in) weapons for better hitting power, the U.S. initially concentrated on a powerful 0.60-inch (15 mm) cartridge designed for a pre-war anti-tank rifle, expecting that the cartridge's high muzzle velocity would be beneficial for improving hit ratios on high-speed targets. The first GE prototypes of
867-441: Is a hydraulically , electrically, or pneumatically driven, six- barrel , air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon which fires 20 mm × 102 mm (0.787 in × 4.016 in) rounds at an extremely high rate (typically 6,000 rounds per minute). The M61 and its derivatives have been the principal cannon armament of United States military fixed-wing aircraft for over sixty years. The M61
918-566: Is a semi-armor-piercing high-explosive incendiary (SAPHEI) round, providing improvements in range, accuracy, and power over the preceding M56A3 HEI round. The PGU-28/B is a "low-drag" round designed to reduce in-flight drag and deceleration, and has a slightly increased muzzle velocity of 1,050 metres per second (3,450 ft/s). However, the PGU-28/B has not been without problems. A 2000 USAF safety report noted 24 premature detonation mishaps (causing serious damage in many cases) in 12 years with
969-516: Is a Wide Area Radar which shows the overall area, displaying the player's current position, as well as the position of enemy and allied heliports and special targets. The other is an Immediate Range Radar which shows the proximity of nearby enemies. If enemies are approaching from behind, a danger lamp will turn on to warm the player. The player's primary weapon is an M61 Vulcan cannon with unlimited ammunition. The player can switch between its missiles or its optional equipment and then use them during
1020-455: Is available. Until the late 1980s, the M61 primarily used the M50 series of ammunition in various types, typically firing a 99-gram (3.5 oz) projectile at a muzzle velocity of about 1,030 metres per second (3,380 ft/s). A variety of armor-piercing incendiary (API), high-explosive incendiary (HEI), and training rounds are available. A new PGU-28/B round was developed in the mid-1980s. It
1071-519: Is in excess of 10,000 rounds, making it an extremely reliable weapon. The success of the Vulcan Project and its progeny, the very-high-speed Gatling gun, has led to guns of the same configuration being referred to as "Vulcan cannons" , which can sometimes confuse nomenclature on the subject. Most aircraft versions of the M61 are hydraulically driven and electrically primed. The gun rotor, barrel assembly and ammunition feed system are rotated by
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#17327805246491122-417: Is supplied with sufficient ammunition for a full minute of firing, due to its weight (at 6,000 rpm, the projectiles alone would represent a mass of about 600 kg (1,300 lb) for one minute of firing; and by including the brass shell, filling and primer the weight is slightly double that at 1,225 kg (2,701 lb)). In order to avoid using the 600 to 1,000 rounds carried by aircraft all at once,
1173-521: Is typically 6,000 rounds per minute, although some versions (such as that of the AMX and the F-106 Delta Dart ) are limited to a lower rate, and others ( A-7 Corsair , F-15 Eagle ) have a selectable rate of fire of either 4,000 or 6,000 rounds per minute. The M61A2's lighter barrels allow a somewhat higher rate of fire, up to 6,600 rounds per minute. Practically no powered rotary cannon
1224-526: The F-22 Raptor , designated M61A2, is mechanically the same as the M61A1, but with thinner barrels to reduce overall weight to 92 kilograms (202 lb). The rotor and housing have also been modified to remove any piece of metal not absolutely needed for operation and replaces some metal components with lighter-weight materials. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet also uses this version. The Vulcan's rate of fire
1275-535: The P-38 and P-61 , while formidable against propeller-driven planes, had a relatively low rate of fire in the age of jets, while other cannons were notoriously unreliable. In response to this requirement, the Armament Division of General Electric resurrected an old idea: the multi-barrel Gatling gun . The original Gatling gun had fallen out of favor because of the need for an external power source to rotate
1326-562: The SUU-16/A (also designated M12 by the US Army) and improved SUU-23/A (US Army M25), were developed in the 1960s, often used on gunless versions of the F-4. The SUU-16/A uses the electric M61A1 with a ram-air turbine to power the motor. This proved to cause serious aerodynamic drag at higher speeds, while speeds under 640 kilometres per hour (400 mph) did not provide enough airflow for
1377-517: The 0.60-inch (15 mm) caliber T45 were ground-fired in 1949; it achieved 2,500 rpm, which was increased to 4,000 rpm by 1950. By the early 1950s, the USAF decided that high velocity alone might not be sufficient to ensure target destruction and tested 20 and 27 mm (0.787 and 1.06 in) alternatives based on the 0.60-inch (15 mm) caliber cartridge. These variants of the T45 were known as
1428-742: The Italian/Brazilian AMX International AMX (on Italian aircraft only), and the F-22 Raptor . It was fitted in a side-firing installation on the Fairchild AC-119 and some marks of the Lockheed AC-130 gunships , and was used in the tail turrets of both the Convair B-58 Hustler and Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bombers. Japan's Mitsubishi F-1 carried one internally mounted JM61A1 Vulcan with 750 rounds. Two gun pod versions,
1479-556: The M61 gun internally. The Vulcan was later fitted into the weapons bay of some Convair F-106 Delta Dart and General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark models. It was also adopted as standard in the "teen"-series air superiority fighters: the Grumman F-14 Tomcat , the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle , General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon , and McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet . Other aircraft include
1530-625: The SAPHEI round, compared to only two such mishaps in the entire recorded history of the M56 round. The report estimated that the PGU-28/B had a potential failure rate 80 times higher than USAF standards permit. Due to safety issues, it was limited to emergency wartime use in 2000. The main types of combat rounds and their main characteristics are listed in the table: The Vulcan was first used in aerial combat on 4 April 1965, when four North Vietnamese Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) MiG-17s ) attacked
1581-675: The T171 and T150 respectively and were first tested in 1952. Eventually, the standard 20×102 mm cartridge was determined to have the desired balance of projectile/explosive mass and muzzle velocity, resulting in an optimum balance of range, accuracy and kinetic energy on target. The development of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter revealed that the T171 Vulcan (later redesignated M61 ) suffered problems with its linked ammunition , being prone to misfeed and presenting
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1632-429: The barrel assembly, but the new generation of turbojet-powered fighters offered sufficient electric power to operate the gun, and electric operation was more reliable than gas-operated reloading . With multiple barrels, the rate of fire per barrel could be lower than a single-barrel revolver cannon while providing a greater overall rate of fire. The idea of powering a Gatling gun from an external electric power source
1683-516: The complete weapon. Most aircraft installations are double-ended, because the ejection of empty cartridges can cause a foreign-object damage hazard for jet engines and because the retention of spent cases assists in maintaining the center of gravity of the aircraft. The first aircraft to carry the M61A1 was the C model of the F-104 , starting in 1959. A lighter version of the Vulcan developed for use on
1734-455: The engagement; however no other US pilot reported destroying any MiGs during the battle, leaving open the possibility that at least two of the MiG-17s may have been downed by their own anti-aircraft fire. The first confirmed Vulcan gun kill occurred on 29 June 1966 when Major Fred Tracy, flying his F-105 with the 421st TFS, fired 200 rounds of 20 mm into a MiG-17 that had just fired
1785-590: The episode " NES Accessories ", where he uses various swear words to fire. Laser Invasion Laser Invasion , released as Gun Sight ( ガンサイト ) in Japan, is a multi-genre first-person action game released by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991 . The player takes control of a military operative who pilots an attack helicopter in order to infiltrate various enemy bases and fulfill his mission. The game supports
1836-452: The gun gas-driven mechanism. The self-powered Vulcan weighs about 4.5 kilograms (10 lb) more than its electric counterpart, but requires no external power source to operate, except for an electric inertia starter to initiate gun rotation, allowing the first rounds to be chambered and fired. The initial M61 used linked ammunition, but the ejection of spent links created considerable (and ultimately insuperable) problems. The original weapon
1887-557: The maximum rate of fire. The subsequent SUU-23/A uses the GAU-4/A self-powered Vulcan, with an electric inertia starter to bring it up to speed. Both pods ejected empty cases and unfired rounds rather than retaining them. Both pods contained 1,200 rounds of ammunition, with a loaded weight of 733 and 780 kilograms (1,615 and 1,720 lb) respectively. During service in the Vietnam War , the pods proved to be relatively inaccurate:
1938-434: The middle of combat. By default, the helicopter will fly in top speed towards the player's current flightpath. In order to land into a heliport, the player must reduce their helicopter's speed until it stops completely and the helicopter is only hovering. The player must then try to align their sight into the heliport's landing spot and descend their copter as best as they can while managing with their current wind condition. If
1989-526: The newer F-4E Phantom II variants. The F-4 was originally designed without a cannon as it was believed that missiles had made guns obsolete. Combat experience in Vietnam showed that a gun could be more effective than guided missiles in many combat situations and that an externally carried gun pod was less effective than an internal gun; the first generation of gun pods such as the SUU-16 were not oriented with
2040-428: The player fails to land their copter correctly, they must try again. If the player lands into an allied heliport, their helicopter will be repaired and refuel and the player will be allowed to change their equipment. The player will lose a life if their damage indicator or fuel runs out or if their helicopter is struck by an enemy missile. The player can use the chaff grenades to become invulnerable to enemy missiles for
2091-521: The player must escape from the enemy's base. The player can adjust the game's sounds, controls, and their number of lives in the option menu before starting the game. The game's gun shooting segments can be played with the Zapper or the LaserScope. When the player loses all of their lives, they will be given five chances to continue where they left off. The player can also gain extra lives by reaching certain scores. The player begins each mission piloting
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2142-399: The player will receive a mission briefing from their commanding officer, who will explain the player's next mission objective. In all of the game's missions (with the exception of Mission 3, which takes place entirely in the air), the player must land their helicopter into enemy heliports and then infiltrate the enemy bases in order to fulfill a certain objective. After fulfilling their mission,
2193-488: The player's helicopter will them take off from its home base and fly into the enemy's airspace. The player controls the helicopter from the pilot's perspective, with the top portion of the screen showing the player's current flightpath, as well as a gun sight for their helicopter's vulcan cannon and missiles. The bottom of the screen shows the helicopter's cockpit, which displays the player's fuel, damage condition, speed, missiles, equipment, and two kinds of radars. One of them
2244-592: The pylon mounting was not rigid enough to prevent deflection when firing, and repeated use would misalign the pod on its pylon, making matters worse. A variant with much shorter barrels, designated the M195, was also developed for use on the M35 Armament Subsystem as used on the AH-1G Cobra helicopter . This variant fed from ammunition boxes fitted to the landing skid and was developed to provide
2295-597: The rotary cannon became the responsibility of Lockheed Martin Armament Systems. Lockheed Martin Armament Systems was later acquired by General Dynamics , which produces the M61 and its variants as of 2000 . Each of the cannon's six barrels fires once in turn during each revolution of the barrel cluster. The multiple barrels provide both a very high rate of fire—around 100 rounds per second—and contribute to prolonged weapon life by minimizing barrel erosion and heat generation. The average time between jams or failures
2346-439: The screen indicates the player's remaining health, as well as their remaining ammunition, both which can be replenished by picking up power-up items hidden inside weapon crates. The player can also shoot at certain oil drums to kill all on-screen enemies at once. These segments end when the player reaches the entrance of the base. When the player completes a gun-shooting segment, the game switches playing style again, this time to
2397-404: The sights of the fighter. The improved pods were self-powered and properly synchronized to the sights, while the USAF versions of the F-4 were hastily fitted with internal M61 cannons in a prominent fairing under the nose, well before the war ended (Navy Phantoms never received cannons, continuing to rely on air-to-air missiles alone). The next generation of fighters built post-Vietnam incorporated
2448-479: The standard NES controller, as well as the NES Zapper light gun and the LaserScope , a voice-activated headset controller Konami released for the NES that was compatible with all light gun games released for the system. The American version of the game featured a rebate for the LaserScope in the instruction booklet. A hostile nation is secretly planning to launch a new type of weapon against its enemies. As
2499-483: Was not a novel idea at the end of World War II, as Richard Jordan Gatling himself had done just that with a patent he filed in 1893. During World War I , a similar 12-barreled Fokker-Leimberger aircraft rotary machine gun, powered by either the aircraft engine or an electric motor, had been under development by the German Empire . In 1946, the Army issued General Electric a contract for "Project Vulcan",
2550-498: Was originally produced by General Electric . After several mergers and acquisitions, it is produced by General Dynamics as of 2000 . At the end of World War II , the United States Army Air Forces began to consider new directions for future military aircraft guns. The higher speeds of jet-powered fighter aircraft meant that achieving an effective number of hits would be extremely difficult without
2601-503: Was soon replaced by the M61A1, with a linkless feed system. Depending on the application, the feed system can be either single-ended (ejecting spent cases and unfired rounds) or double-ended (returning casings back to the magazine). A disadvantage of the M61 is that the bulk of the weapon, its feed system, and ammunition drum make it difficult to fit it into a densely packed airframe. The feed system must be custom-designed for each application, adding 140 to 180 kg (300 to 400 lb) to
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