M61 Vulcan: Inside America’s 20mm Aircraft Cannon | US Military News

In 1949, General Electric carried out the first tests of the T-45 prototype — the six-barrel Gatling system that would evolve into the legendary M61 Vulcan. That early design already reached a rate of fire of about 2,500 rounds per minute, an impressive leap for post-war aviation engineering. By 1950, engineers pushed the firing rate to around 4,000 rpm, and in 1952 the improved 20 mm version, designated T-171, entered official testing. The weapon proved so reliable and powerful that it was stan