Dear friends
I submit here a photo from the cover of a french DVD box about the Vietnam war.
It is a picture of a UH1D disembarking , I think, a MACV SOG stick;
Of particular interest is the door mounted 50cal ( an aerial version) with a pintle mount that was normally used on APC ( M113 ie) or tanks…I own a lot of books and manuals dealing with the Hueys in VN but never saw a mount configuration like this one.
Happy modelling you all.
Best
Luca
You’ll likely find this particular weapons mount used in several varying applications from Helos to AFV’s, as it’s used in your photo post isn’t uncommon.
Cajun 
.50 cals as door guns were used as a non-standard mount. These were usually made by the unit and did not use any standard mount approved by the US Army.
Here are some other examples:
By the end of the war, there was an actual approved .50 cal mount that could be mounted.
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Thanks alot indeed folks for your infos and pictures !
Best regards from Italy
Luca
I’m betting the field mods were pretty freaky back then. The mounts must have needed constant review due to the beating after a few missions.
Working on the UH-1N’s at Howard AFB, Panama, 85-87 with Det 1, I do recall them speaking of NDI requirements for the tail booms after the 40mm’s ran their missions. Seems the constant thumping could really rack the bird, very noticeable by the crew when in flight, too. They said, “You don’t aim it, ya just point in the general direction and ride it.” Lol, woof, woof!
I wasn’t familiar with the XM123, but I did have a lot of time with the XM-93 system, GAU-2 miniguns, rkt pods, etc. The Hueys were escort for any nukes transiting the canal. I don’t recall the name of the 40mm system. I loaded it only once for certification, they never ran that system much at all in the mid-80s before I got there.
Funny, I’ve still have a busted flash suppressor, the old fork version, from the Gau-2 sitting in my model bunker with one tooth missing.
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