“I wanna fire a MINI-GUN from a helicopter” door gunner FACTS…told by a real Army door gunner (40 Photos)

Want to fire a MINI-GUN from a helicopter?
“If you’re asking…hell yeah”.
Real life door gunner explains how-it-works.

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There is a specific skill all DOOR GUNNERS must first learn before the fun PEW PEW of firing a mini-gun out the window of an Army helicopter.

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-Young Army recruit says,
“I wanna be a door gunner.”
-Crew Chief
“NOPE.”
Kid, you’ve gotta start at the real question,
“How does a soldier get ASSIGNED to be a helicopter door gunner?”

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Source: Ben Gooch on Quora.com

The following comes from a Blackhawk door gunner named Ben Gooch.

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He’s not only the door gunner, Mr. Gooch is also the UH-60’s Crew Chief.

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Here’s a quick once-over on the U.S. Army door gunner’s weapons.

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Standard Army helicopter’s door gunner weapons:
-M240 machine gun
-M134 Minigun
UH-60 Blackhawks have 2 mounted guns
And
The larger CH-47 Chinooks have 2 mounted guns with a third in the rear

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Above is an attack MH-47G Chinook.
Notice the two M134 Minigun out the side windows.
(Special Ops. Forces version of CH-47…but fully loaded with guns and classified digital tech)

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Above is a UH-60 Blackhawk with two M240 machine guns out the side.

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Finally, this is the view from the rear door gunner of the big CH-47 Chinook with the M240 machine gun.

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I’ll let Ben Gooch, who is a “15T” Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), explain the steps to becoming a door gunner:
“So let’s be a little more specific. Don’t just enlist in a 15 series MOS.”

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“You have 2 options if you want to be a rotor-wing gunner.”

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“As a crew chief/door gunner myself, I’ll set this a little more straight. Enlist as either a 15T or as a 15U.”

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“A 15T is a UH-60 (Blackhawk) Repairer OR…”

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“…a 15U is a CH-47 (Chinook) Repairer.”

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(Again, Mr. Gooch works on Blackhawks as a 15T)

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“In either case, you’ll likely start as just a maintainer, fixing the helicopter. Most units, to my knowledge, start all new soldiers in a D Company (maintenance company) or an ASB (Aviation Support Battalion).”

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“If you are physically qualified and a decent worker, you could be sent to a flight company, where you’ll be trained as a crew chief. It’s similar to your school you went through to become a mechanic, but WAY more in depth on the systems of the helicopter.”

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“Then you will learn the following:
the medical effects of flying on the body, gunnary, NVG operations, limitations of the aircraft.”

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In addition:
“how to handle passengers, securing cargo, aerospace surveillance, how to work as a member of a crew with your pilots, terminology, calls, so on, and so on.”

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“It’s an intense amount of information and it’s a bit grueling.”

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“DO NOT let a recruiter tell you to go 15R because Apaches have guns.”

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“Their “crew chiefs” prep the aircraft for flight and fix it when it’s broken. That’s about it.”

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“You won’t fly.
None of their enlisted guys do. You have to be a Warrant Officer pilot or Commissioned Officer pilot to fly those.”

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“As a T or U, you’ll fly a ton. I fly, on average, twice a week.”

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“The rest of my time is spent fixing aircraft.”
That is part 1…

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Part 2
Army crew chief, David Anderson, answers the other important aspect:
How do helicopters fly when door gunners are firing?

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“As far as how they operate as aircraft there us no difference. I assume though you mean to ask if they are flown a certain way to allow for target engagement.
The gun mount on a UH-60 Blackhawk can swivel 5deg up, 85deg down, 85deg forward, and 75deg aft. This allows pretty good coverage on the side of the aircraft.”

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“If we are engaging a specific target the pilot will fly as necessary to facilitate the gunner engaging it.”

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“This may be as simple as releasing the aircrafts trim function and flying at an angle relative to it’s direction of movement so the gunner has a better field of fire. (Think like drifting a car)
It may also mean orbiting a target or making repeated passes switching between guns.” 

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“The door guns are not really meant for this job though. We use them this way occasionally if necessary but their intended use is more as a brief suppression weapon to allow the aircraft to escape an engagement…”

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“…Then the Apaches will deal with the threat and we continue mission.”

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“As such a door gun engagement is often a short burst or two hastily put out while the pilot focuses his maneuvers on escaping the threat. The gunner will suppress as long as he can engage the threat to allow escape, which is the primary priority.”

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Source: David Anderson on Quora.com

“Photo is me (David Anderson) in Afghanistan as a Crew Chief.”
That’s it…all you need to know about being a door gunner.

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So, how do you get to fire a mini-gun from a helicopter?

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Bet ya missed it?

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#1:
You must LEARN the aircraft before shooting the guns.
#2:
The door gunners and pilots work as a team.
It’s that simple yet very complex.

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Thank you Ben Gooch and David Anderson for explaining the reality of becoming a door gunner.

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Every one thinks a minigun is a sexy fun toy to shoot. Nope, 15T/Us are responsible for the boots on the ground.
-Rick

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