.....our 2 workers who take care of everything in our building wear kneepads a lot--so they don't have to bend over while working on something close to the ground ..if that is a real picture [ is it? --no malice intended ] it apears the ''ammo box'' [ ? ] is at a level where you would have to bend over to work on/change out/etc.....appears the whole system is at a level where you would be bending over to work on....much easier to bend on one knee to work on it ..and the MG is not based on ''soft'' dirt/etc --it's hard metal ..seems like you would have a firmer/safer stance kneeling while working on the MG --especially if the plane is moving [ kneeling you are closer to the ground in a more compact position ] ...just my thoughts
As far as I know it's legit. I wouldn't want to be in a fight where the gunners used that much ammo. "May you lead an interesting life."
...I'd like to know the accuracy of that thing...it's not a ''solid'' non-rotating weapon as oppsed to a fixed. MG....so you have the extra ''problem''/axis --more chance of error ..? ..is there a link in one of your posts? what's that system?
It's a ma deuce, .50 cal. MG. The bullets can kill at four miles.* The same basic chassis is used in the Barrett sniper rifle. With the scope the gunner should be able to hit the eye he's chosen.
seems like it's for supression/''defensive firepower''....obviously it will be a lot less accurate than a ground based MG ....I would think it would be even ''difficult'' to keep most of the rounds on an area target
Wasn't all that hard from a moving boat. Just sayin'. Air gunners get a different style of training, IIRC. Put 750 rounds a minute on a five by five meter square. If they don't run away, they die. Back in the day: Imagine a B-17 "thousand plane raid". That would mean THIRTEEN THOUSAND .50 cals. sniffing the air. Made Me. 109 driving a hazardous profession.
do you have a link for that ? 750 rounds out of how many fired? at what range? anyone shooting back? etc
That was a theoretical. M2 can fire up to 850 rounds a minute without some unauthorized field mods. (And nobody would abuse the barrel by firing continuously that long unless the shit had well and truly hit the fan. Not any of my fond memories, for sure.) And, as the USAF air gunners manual says, a .50 cal. bullet can kill at four miles. They have about another half mile before they spent, but they're not a sure kill at that range. Aimed shots peak out at about a mile. When the state boys bring ma deuce around for "fam fire" we shoot from one hill top to another.
I'd just like to be the first to say "Get some". Or maybe "Bekommen". Cracking shot, OP. Our Army Air Corps released this fine pic of RSM & mascot recently.
Off the top of my head, the gunner is usually the load master also, he/she needs to be down on knees regularly to have loads properly secured...(could also be for falls during tight manoeuvres or turbulence)