In 1949, deep inside the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, U.S. Army engineers tested a prototype that would change the future of firepower forever — the M61 Vulcan Gatling gun. What started as a postwar experiment quickly evolved into one of the fastest-firing cannons ever built, capable of unleashing up to six thousand rounds per minute. The Vulcan’s six rotating barrels, powered by an electric motor, created a relentless storm of lead and fire that no aircraft or enemy could escape. The te

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