Gunner
Gunner are members of the crew of an aircraft , usually a combat aircraft or bomber , whose main task is to operate on- board weapons such as machine guns or cannons for defense against fighter planes . In the long-range bombers of World War II , e.g. B. the US Boeing B-17 ( Flying Fortress ), the gunner made up more than half of the crew.
In smaller aircraft such as B. the German Ju 87 ( Stuka ), gunner had several functions. Often they were also radio operators or bomb shooters .
In modern aircraft, there are generally no gunnery guns left, as guns are no longer used for defense. The main threat to combat aircraft today is from missiles, which are primarily fought using decoys and electronic warfare measures . These are now operated either by the pilot himself or by a crew member called a " weapons system officer " with an extended area of responsibility.
Gunneries, especially in transport helicopters , are sometimes called Doorgunner if they can shoot out of doors and hatches with hand-held weapons.
