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Description
The M49 Vulcan, formerly the M343A2 Minigun, is a heavy machine gun in use by the United Nations Space Command after the Human-Covenant War . It is a successor to the M41 and M46 machine guns, with which it shares the erroneous "chaingun" moniker. Despite seeing a high initial production run in early 2558 the debilitation of a number of key manufacturing sites led Misriah Armory to ramp production back up on the M46.

The M49 may alternatively be referred to as the M250 heavy machine gun, though the differences between the two conflicting designations are currently unknown. The M49 succeeds its predecessors in the Vulcan line of weapons, albeit heavily redesigned compared to the M46 and M49 models. Unlike the early tri-barrelled models, the M49 is an electrically driven, five-barreled Gatling-style machine gun that is compatible with all standard UNSC heavy weapon mounts. The M49 is often installed on a pneumatic full-rotation turret as the primary armament of the M12B Warthog , and is also available in a semi-portable tripod configuration for site defense. The latter configuration has a much shorter barrel assembly.

The M49's lethality is comparable to that of its predecessors. Barrel wear is considerably diminished in comparison, though the weapon will overheat after periods of sustained fire. This is aided by the inclusion of an augmented cowling to protect the barrels from external wear and tear. Although the M49 is designed to use the latest polymer-cased and energetic propellant 12.7×99mm M255 HVE rounds, UNSC units have been ordered to deplete existing stocks of older 12.7×99mm M340 HVE ammunition before transitioning to newer cartridges. As opposed to its predecessors, the M49 ejects its spent casings from the left side.

Description
The M49 Vulcan, formerly the M343A2 Minigun, is a heavy machine gun in use by the United Nations Space Command after the Human-Covenant War . It is a successor to the M41 and M46 machine guns, with which it shares the erroneous "chaingun" moniker. Despite seeing a high initial production run in early 2558 the debilitation of a number of key manufacturing sites led Misriah Armory to ramp production back up on the M46.

The M49 may alternatively be referred to as the M250 heavy machine gun, though the differences between the two conflicting designations are currently unknown. The M49 succeeds its predecessors in the Vulcan line of weapons, albeit heavily redesigned compared to the M46 and M49 models. Unlike the early tri-barrelled models, the M49 is an electrically driven, five-barreled Gatling-style machine gun that is compatible with all standard UNSC heavy weapon mounts. The M49 is often installed on a pneumatic full-rotation turret as the primary armament of the M12B Warthog , and is also available in a semi-portable tripod configuration for site defense. The latter configuration has a much shorter barrel assembly.

The M49's lethality is comparable to that of its predecessors. Barrel wear is considerably diminished in comparison, though the weapon will overheat after periods of sustained fire. This is aided by the inclusion of an augmented cowling to protect the barrels from external wear and tear. Although the M49 is designed to use the latest polymer-cased and energetic propellant 12.7×99mm M255 HVE rounds, UNSC units have been ordered to deplete existing stocks of older 12.7×99mm M340 HVE ammunition before transitioning to newer cartridges. As opposed to its predecessors, the M49 ejects its spent casings from the left side.