UH-1 Huey gunship door gunners laying suppressing fire with M60 machine guns in Vietnam [video]
Posted by Looselipssinkships93@reddit | ForgottenWeapons | View on Reddit | 64 comments
the Huey which is either a B or C model is fitted with the M16 armament subsystem consisting of four M60C machine guns (2 mounted on each side) and two 2.75-inch rocket pods, later replaced by the improved M21 system which mounted the same rocket pods but with 2 miniguns, sometimes paired with the nose mounted M5 40mm grenade launcher
GPT3-5_AI@reddit
Invaders from the other side of the planet murder people defending their homes for the crime of opposing capitalism.
ZigaKrajnic@reddit
The North Vietnamese Army owned homes in South Vietnam? The Invaders were from North Vietnam.
stonednarwhal141@reddit
The South backed out of the agreed upon reunification election that would’ve happened in ‘56 because it was widely expected that the communists were going to win
HemHaw@reddit
As I understand it, they were being invaded by china. It was kind of a proxy war. Not that it justifies our involvement. Korea was a similar story.
RoneliKaneli@reddit
Probably quite dangerous, but man that looks cool to be doing in the military. I'd rather try that than piloting a fighter.
Oratian@reddit
Thousands of Hueys were shot down in vietnam.
atridir@reddit
Did you notice the rocket trail near-miss in the last frame of the video? That looked like a very close call.
Oratian@reddit
I believe that is damage on the end of the film roll
atridir@reddit
Ah! That totally makes sense! Cheers
GeneralBisV@reddit
Especially when your in a plane that is best at BVR combat but you have to close in and do visual identification of a target before engaging
Activision19@reddit
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything on it, but does anyone know if any north Vietnamese MiGs shot down US helicopters? Did the north Vietnamese have any Soviet helicopters of their own?
Oratian@reddit
Yes, the PAVN used soviet helis in limited numbers and limited roles. MiGs were employed sparingly in very specific situations and areas that would allow them to have the best chance against US air power, typically targeting US strike planes headed north to bomb infrastructure and then getting out of dodge without engaging in long dogfights. There was only one offensive mission (until the US withdrew its planes) conducted by the North Vietnamese with air power, and it was with An-2 aircraft. MiGs were just never really able to be used in the right tactical setting to threaten helicopters, especially when ground fire works just fine to bring them down.
DaCosmonut@reddit
To add to this:
VPAF uses their helis for mostly transport and medevac, since most of their heli fleet are Mi-4s, Mi-8s with some Mi-6s
VPAF actually has a few offensive actions, most notably bombing the USS Higbee (1972, MiG-17s) and bombing the Tan Son Nhat Airport (1975, A-37s). Only after the fall of South Vietnam did the VPAF has access to abundant CAS assets, which allowed them to participate much more frequently in battle during the invasion of Cambodia
Oratian@reddit
Thanks for the addition, the change in tactics post US withdrawal is really interesting
badboybk@reddit
This used to be my dream job when i was little. Also wanted to play a video game about this.
garnett8@reddit
Hell Let Loose Vietnam is on its way!
IcyRobinson@reddit
Joker and Raptorman just watching this
beans_will_consume@reddit
“What happens if they run?”
“heh you just gotta lead em harder”
SixStringerSoldier@reddit
just gotta lead'em a bit more probably the evilest like I can think of at a moment's notice
ReallyQuiteDirty@reddit
How do you shoot women and children? "Easy! Just don't lead 'em as much!"
SixStringerSoldier@reddit
This here response is gonna make less sense after the edit lmao.
ReallyQuiteDirty@reddit
I didn't even think of that lol. But that line lives rent free in my head so I just needed to get it out
beans_will_consume@reddit
Haha I was thinking of that quote but couldn’t remember how it went.
SixStringerSoldier@reddit
When I wanted to enlisted, my dad said war is the smell of burning children and he started crying. Then we watched this movie.
Anyways I turn cannabis into art nowadays. Still like guns but fuuuuuuck that
beans_will_consume@reddit
Fun fact: burning flesh kinda smells like a pork BBQ.
SixStringerSoldier@reddit
Learned this the hard way as an electrician it incidentally I never saw hin eat pork.
SwedishLenn@reddit
Awful 😞
subtleplus@reddit
**Some folks are born made to wave the flag **
thepvbrother@reddit
I have a friend who was an M60 gunner in Vietnam. He still has nightmares.
Able-Quantity-1879@reddit
About what? Missing Streak and Shrimp on a Friday?
Not_an_alt_69_420@reddit
One of the pastors at the church I went to as a kid was a chopper gunner in Vietnam, too. He was only sober during Sunday service, and I can't say I blame him.
thepvbrother@reddit
He said the worst part was reliving what he M60 does to children's bodies. Just ripped them apart.
orangesrnice@reddit
So he gunned down children?
thepvbrother@reddit
What do you think was going on over there?
Able-Quantity-1879@reddit
>eyebrow crooked<
90bronco@reddit
Does the air flow from the helicoptor blade cools the gun in that application significanlty more than a stationary application?
melaflander34@reddit
My late father said they did some modifications that would increase the cyclic rate on his birds. It was done (unofficially) at the unit level.
CyberSoldat21@reddit
I love in the field weapon modifications. One of my favorites are the fully automatic M1 garands in WW2
LobsterManCommander@reddit
They would be absolutely useless. But interesting.
CyberSoldat21@reddit
It was. But it’s cool
WearIcy2635@reddit
“The bitch” made by Australian soldiers in Vietnam is my favourite. They’d saw down the barrel on an FAL for maximum muzzle flash and concussion, convert it to full auto, and add a spare pistol grip on the forend so they could actually control the recoil on the thing. The idea was to make so much noise and flash that the VC would think they were facing a much larger force
SSgt0bvious@reddit
Or the marines chopping up M1 carbine stocks to put onto 30 cal machine guns they yoinked from damaged divebomber turrets
CyberSoldat21@reddit
The stingers were a really cool idea
Testabronce@reddit
The airflow from the helicopter flying at top speed cools down the barrel, yes
septictank84@reddit
I know an old chopper gunner from the bar I work at (shot down twice). Someone asked him how many rounds he fired and he laughed. Said he didn't count rounds, he counted barrels and still lost track.
Artistic_Regard_QED@reddit
Significantly
LobsterManCommander@reddit
Those cases just tumbling out into the air are kinda hypnotic to look at.
goshathegreat@reddit
Laying down the hate…
Hugh-Juger@reddit
Get some
perrierpapi@reddit
Get some
AnvilEdifice@reddit
SacThrowAway76@reddit
Get some
RacerXrated@reddit
That first dude is pretty strong. He makes firing it from the shoulder look easy as breathing.
thepvbrother@reddit
I'm pretty sure they had swivel or swing mounts.
kwb166@reddit
How are you pretty sure?
Neither guy in the video above was using a mount.
My dad was a crew chief/door gunner on a USMC gunship '66/'67 (VM02). He said the Army generally used 60's on mounts with spade grips, while the Corps mostly just used standard 60's with the bipods stripped off with no mounts (or with bungie cords attached from the roof to the carry handle to help hold the weight). He said the standard grip was much easier to use on the ground if you crashed.
thepvbrother@reddit
The XM23/M23 Armament Subsystem exists. Your answer is what Google returned, BTW
mrtbearable@reddit
That first one definitely didn’t though
Activision19@reddit
He mostly isn’t even shouldering it either and largely just freehanding it. But when you are suppressing an area and only aiming by tracer fire then that method would work.
johnatsea12@reddit
How does the downwash affect the bullet trajectory?
SSgt0bvious@reddit
I'm sure it does, but likely not enough to notice when so many other variables will effect aiming. I'd be curious to see just how much it causes a deviation. Likely wouldn't see it unless your shooting at extreme ranges to be able to see the deviation.
AyeBraine@reddit
I watched a video on a training course on shooting from helicopters. It's incredibly unintuitive, moving platform, varying angle and bullet flight time at different ranges all introduce leads that are weird.
This video though is primarily appalling
InsideOfYourMind@reddit
Like an ant blowing on a 747
El_Cactus_Loco@reddit
looks like fun
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