Is it the sound of the powder exploding then the bullet breaking the sound barrier? Is one of them the projectile itself impacting/exploding?
For clarity, I mean it like [this](https://youtu.be/FVQvH4qc5cg?t=22). What is the first, sharper sound, and what is the secind, softer sound?
In: Physics
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Haven’t seen the video (YT being difficult), but the first is likely the gun firing, as in the gunpowder exploding propelling the mind boggling number of large Calibre shells.
The second is likely the shells impact sound on target.
That is the sound in this video at least.
Bullets travel faster then the speed of sound. This means that the bullets might hit the ground before the sound from the gun reaches you. It sounds like this is what you hear here. The first sound is from the bullets impacting the ground not too far away from the camera and the second sound is from the gun itself. These shots are taking at quite safe ranger but if you are getting shot at and they miss then you would expect to hear the bullet in the air first and then the impact behind you before you hear the gun. Experienced soldiers will listen for the different sounds to figure out from what direction the shot came from and how far away.
The sharper, more chaotic, and more violent sounds are the rounds impacting the target.
The mechanical and consistent “brrrrt” sound is the actual sound of the weapon firing.
You hear them as separate events because the bullets are traveling much faster than the speed of sound.
Of note, you get similar effects from rotary weapons on [other aircraft;](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjYz_pY7-Ms) it’s not unique to the A-10 and the GAU-8. The A-10 is just more widely known and more recognizable because the GAU-8 is larger and louder, and is almost exclusively used for ground attack, particularly across the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars where a lot of this footage originates from.
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