minigun

(n) Any of the variants of General Electric's 20mm M61A1 Vulcan Gatling anti-materiel cannon system chambered for 7.62 NATO or smaller cartridges. The M134A1 minigun is an air-cooled, belt-fed machinegun utilizing a rotary assembly of (usually six) barrels to propel 7.62x51mm bullets at extremely high cyclic rates of fire, ranging from 600 to 6000 rounds per minute, depending on adjustments made to its electrical feed system. Logistically, the minigun is often used as a helicopter-mounted weapon, manned by a single gunner. An experimental version, the XM214, is another type of minigun chambered for the smaller 5.56 NATO cartridge.