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50 Cal Gunner Has Close Call With Incoming Round
Published 4 years ago
Helmet camera footage out of mountainous eastern Afghanistan shows an extremely close call as an enemy's incoming round is intercepted by the turret gunner's cupola armor plate.
The terrain is often the deadliest part of Afghanistan. It forces troops to travel in corridors with high ground on both sides and no alternate routes. The enemy attacks from predetermined and prepared fighting positions on the back side of land features, making return fire futile unless mortars or close air support assets are nearby. Many times the enemy fighters are firing from such a high angle that heavy mounted weapons like the M2 .50 and MK19 do not have the range of motion to accurately engage.