// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the air gunner's date say? You're always shooting me down.
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An air gunner or aerial gunner is a member of a military aircrew who operates flexible-mount or turret-mounted machine guns or autocannons in an aircraft.[1] Modern aircraft weapons are usually operated automatically without the need for a dedicated air gunner, but older generation (World War II and earlier) bombers used to carry up to eight air gunners.
During World War II, advanced central fire control systems were developed for aircraft such as the B-29 and B-32 that enabled remote control of turrets.[2]
Most modern air gunners are helicopter door gunners, who typically have other primary roles such as crew chief or observer in addition to their air gunner role. Others fly as members of aircrews on gunships, where their duties may include loading guns or manually firing them if computer systems fail. A modern gunner can be someone who operates armament on an aircraft besides the pilot or someone defending the aircraft with a machine gun or auto-cannon (more commonly in World War II).
References
[edit]- ↑ "Aerial gunner". The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Oxford University Press. 2002. ISBN 9780199891580. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
Aerial gunner - a U.S. Air Force enlisted specialty assigned to personnel trained to operate flexible guns mounted on aircraft.
- ↑ Taranovich, Steve (10 December 2012). "Design Hindsight from the Tail-Gunner Position of a WWII Bomber, Part One". EDN. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
See also
[edit]- Aircrew (Flight crew)
- Door gunner
- Tail gunner
- Nose gunner
- Gunner Badge
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