What type of cannon did Leonardo da Vinci design with several barrels arranged together?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a multi-barrel cannon with several barrels arranged together for rapid firing.

The design is commonly associated with a cluster of barrels mounted on a frame. By preparing multiple barrels, an operator could fire successive shots more quickly than with a single cannon that required repeated loading. Leonardo’s military notebooks contain several artillery concepts aimed at increasing firepower and reducing delays.

This weapon is often confused with a machine gun. Leonardo’s multi-barrel arrangement was still based on separate cannon barrels and black-powder charges; it was not a modern automatic firearm with a continuous ammunition feed. The design also differs from a mortar, whose short barrel launches shells on a high trajectory.

As with many of Leonardo’s weapons, surviving drawings do not prove that the complete design entered service. The concept is historically notable because it applies repetition and mechanical organization to artillery. It reflects the arms race of Renaissance Italy, when rulers sought more effective defensive and siege technology.