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Have you ever wondered where Vulcan Raven got his name? Well, wonder no more, my friend! Hit the jump to learn all about the M61 Vulcan, Vulcan Raven's weapon of choice!

As Solid Snake, you did battle with Raven twice in the first Metal Gear Solid. The first time, he was in a tank. The second, he lugged around the M61 Vulcan, with an ammo belt hanging off and leading up to a barrel that he wore on his back. Raven was Inuit, meaning he was indigenous to the Artic region of either Alaska, Greenwood, or Canada. He also had shamanic powers of intuition. However, none of this seemed as interesting as the fact that he lugged around a several hundred pound Gatling gun that is primarily used in military aircrafts.

After WWII ended, the US began looking for ways to make its military aircrafts more effective. The speed of fighter aircrafts in conjunction with the low volume of fire that they were currently capable of made it difficult to land several successful hits on a target. This is when General Electric (who no longer work in the armament business) had the idea of resurrecting their old Gatling gun idea. They had to scrap their original idea due to the gun needing an external power source to spin the barrel. However, newer aircrafts had enough excess power to do just that.

In 1946, the Army issued GE the contract for "Project Vulcan." They wanted a six-barrel weapon capable of firing 7,200 15mm rounds per minute. After some experimenting, they realized that 20 mm rounds achieved the desired effect. In 1949, ground tests showed that the gun was capable of firing 2,500 rpm. By 1950, that number was increased to 4,000. Today, the Vulcan can fire 6,000 rpm.

The M61 Vulcan is not without its flaws, however. It's been criticized for using 20 mm rounds, which lose energy quickly. The gun's destructive power and accuracy are also inferior to the heavier rounds that the European and Russian air forces prefer. Another criticism is that the gun cannot fire until it reaches its maximum rotation speed, which takes about .5 seconds. This may not sound like much, but when you're in the heat of battle, half of a second can make all the difference in the world. If you don't believe me, just ask Vulcan Raven!

Source: the almighty Wikipedia

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