Did B-17 have a tail gunner?
During the Second World War, the majority of United States Army Air Forces heavy bomber aircraft, such as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Boeing B-29 Superfortress, used a fixed gunner position with the guns themselves in a separate mounting covering an approximately 90-degree rear arc.
How did rear gunners not shoot the tail?
the raised fairing concealed the contoured guide track. This stops gunner accidentally shooting the tail, wings or cockpit of his own aircraft; The second way was to incorporate electrical or mechanical switches in the turret which would engage the guns’ saftey mechanism if the guns were pointed in a wrong direction.
What planes had Rear gunners?
The bomber aircraft featured in The Rear Gunner is a B-24 Liberator although Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers are also seen.
How effective were tail gunners in WW2?
Tail gunners were very effective for one reason. A rear attack has to catch up with the defending aircraft and therefore is visible earlier and under fire longer. There is reason why rear guns were retained on post WW2 strategic bombers including the B52D version which shot down three Mig21s.
What was the life expectancy of a WW2 tail gunner?
The Rear-Turret Gunners were in the most vulnerable position on the Plane. The life expectancy of a WW2 Rear-gunner varied but was never high, mostly about just 5 Sorties.
Did the B 25 have a tail gunner?
The tail gunner manned the most useful position of all—the B-25 was one of the first bombers to have a tail gun.
What was the life expectancy of a ball turret gunner?
37 seconds
When the gunner tracked a fighter plane attacking from below, he revolved with the turret. The fighters who attacked him were armed with cannons firing explosive shells. “I later learned that the life expectancy of a ball turret gunner was just a mere 37 seconds.
What was the most heavily armed fighter of ww2?
When it first flew in 1938, the Whirlwind was one of the fastest combat aircraft in the world and with four Hispano-Suiza HS. 404 20 mm autocannon in its nose, the most heavily armed….Westland Whirlwind (fighter)
| Whirlwind | |
|---|---|
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Produced | 1940 – January 1942 |
| Number built | 116 |
What plane in ww2 had the most guns?
B-25
By the end of the war, the B-25 was the most heavily armed aircraft in the U.S. Army Air Forces’ inventory. A single 12-airplane squadron of B-25s carried more . 50-caliber machine guns than four infantry regiments.
What was the life expectancy of a WW2 Tail Gunner?
Did the B 25 have a ball turret?
The B-25A included pilot armor and self-sealing tanks. The B-25B introduced the notoriously unsuccessful Bendix ventral turret. Harold Maul, a B-25 crewman, described the ball turret in Eric Bergerud’s Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific: “The worst thing ever designed was the bottom turret of the B-25.
What was the most heavily armed bomber of ww2?
Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress
| YB-40 Flying Fortress | |
|---|---|
| Role | Bomber escort |
| Built by | Lockheed-Vega |
| First flight | 10 November 1942 |
| Introduction | 29 May 1943 |
What plane has the most machine guns?
By the end of the war, the B-25 was the most heavily armed aircraft in the U.S. Army Air Forces’ inventory. A single 12-airplane squadron of B-25s carried more . 50-caliber machine guns than four infantry regiments.
Did the B 24 have a belly turret?
The design was mainly deployed on the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator, as well as the United States Navy’s Liberator, the PB4Y-1. The ventral turret was used in tandem in the Convair B-32, successor to the B-24. There was no room inside for a parachute, which was left in the cabin above the turret.
What is the most heavily armed plane?
AC-130J Ghostrider
The AC-130J Ghostrider is set to be the most heavily-armed gunship in history, bristling with 30mm and 105mm cannons, AGM-176A Griffin missiles, and the ability to carry Hellfire missiles and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. But that’s not all.
Why was the B-24 called the flying coffin?
A World War II aircraft unofficially known as a “Flying Coffin” has been found in Italy. The heavy bomber Consolidated B-24 Liberator earned its nickname when crew members found it difficult to fly, thanks to its “stiff and heavy controls,” Discovery News reports.
Which country has best fighter jets?
Military > Air force > Combat aircraft: Countries Compared
| # | COUNTRY | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 2011 |
| 2 | Russia | 2008 |
| 3 | China | 2014 |
| 4 | India | 2011 |