Helicopter's mount for Bren-gun and GPMG

[pzluchs]

Gentlemen!
In late 50th early 60th some British helicopters were fitted with window mounts for machine guns. I'm looking for details this mounts

[Peter Laidler]

UNless this was some RAF modification, I've never seen a helicopter mount for a Bren! At 30 rounds before you stop and re-load, it'd be a waste of time. Maybe the Browning M1919 or L3.

As for the GPMG, they have been fitted into everything except my car. There will be hundreds of different variables. What particular one are you looking for?

[pzluchs]

Peter, this is answer me from other forum: "On 225 Sdn all our WW10s were fitted with pintles in the door and port cabin window for the Bren gun...". WW10 - Westland Whirlwind. Bren gun - not part of helicopters armament. It was weapon of landing troop.

[Peter Laidler]

The only comment I can make on that since we don't know the origin of the comment is that I have only been involved in one instance where helicopters had MG's fitted into the cabin. The mount and guard rails (I think the RAF fitters called them 'taboo tracks' for some reason) have to be absolutely foolproof and therefore somewhat complicated. There must be absolutely NO chance whatsoever of the bullets hitting the rotors, even in the most extreme circumstances, for obvious reasons. And this requirement must extend a bit further than telling the door gunner '.........don't shoot above the door line' because when you're shooting and the thing is banking, you don't know where you are!

[jrhead75]

The mounts we had on this side of the pond (USMC, immediately post-Vietnam), were all pretty simple lash-ups, either a bar pinned into the window frame with a pintle mount in the center, or (in the Hueys), a post and pintle type arrangement, also pinned into the "sill" of the doorway. There was also a double strap (one from the floor/one from the ceiling) set-up that's still occasionally in use today to mount an LMG on the aft cargo ramp.

I'm of the belief that it was entirely possible to do serious injury to one's self with all of these mounts...but I never tested my theory.

[Brit plumber]

We currently use the 7.62 GPMG, M60 and Mini gun in the Puma and Chinook, and the navy use a M2 or M3 (1100 RPM) .50 cal on their Lynx

[Mk VII]

Apparently those crappy M60s came as part of the package with the Chinooks. I hope we wouldn't have touched them otherwise.

[Peter Laidler]

We had the early M-60's in Australia in the 60's and they were dire compared to the then new GPMG's. The latest M-60 is a vast improvement and we have a couple of them at Warminster. But, alas, still not a patch in the GPMG........

[pzluchs]

That said former pilot of RAF and Army helicopters. I think that not difficult to modifity for helicopter pintle mount from vehicles as Land Rover or Champ

[pzluchs]

I found one photo with Bren gun on British Belvedere helicopter
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/506...9C89C783688B46