Gun cameras are

camera A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...

s mounted on a

gun A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...

, used to photograph or record from its perspective. They are typically used on the weapons of

military aircraft A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing or rotorcraft, rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary military of any type. Some military aircraft engage directly in aerial warfare, while others take on su ...

and operate either when the gun is fired or at the operator's will. Gun cameras are used for training, analysis, or documentation purposes.

History

The use of gun cameras first became common for gunnery training in the 1920s, though examples were used during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

by the British

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

. A special version of the Lewis gun, the Hythe Mark III, was manufactured as a camera gun for the Royal Flying Corps, used by trainees in lieu of actual Lewis guns during

mock combat Mock combat involves the execution of combative actions without intent to harm. Participants can engage in such sparring for ritual, training, recreational or performance reasons. The nature of mock combat can vary from Realism (arts), realistic ...

exercises. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

gun cameras were commonly used on operational aircraft to record kills of enemy aircraft. Many photographs and videos from gun cameras, such as those filmed by

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

Lieutenant Colonel Jack T. Bradley, survive to this day and are often used as

stock footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...

. During World War Two, America's Army Air Forces and Navy aircraft used gun cameras made by Fairchild in Jamaica, NY. Fairchild's first designs were produced in 1932; by 1938 their camera's form was much the same as the models produced during the war. Weighing 3-1/2 pounds, loaded with 50 feet of 16mm film, Fairchild's gun camera was 6x3-1/2x2-1/2 inches in size and built of case-hardened steel. Containing a built-in heating unit, it was capable of operation at temperatures from +165 to -65 degrees celsius. Gun cameras technically still exist in modern

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

and

attack helicopters An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive (military), offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their ...

, though they are typically no longer their own separate devices; rather, they are often built into targeting pods, and are able to record footage without the pilot or crew having to fire.

Applications

Gun cameras are used by militaries, primarily air forces, for training, analysis, or documentation purposes. The cameras are typically installed in the nose of the plane, on the nose-mounted gun (if one is there), or occasionally on the side or in a wing to provide a clearer view. According to

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

General Robin Olds, a triple ace of World War II, the

Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...

's gun camera was mounted directly below the aircraft's Hispano M2 20 mm autocannon, which shook the camera whenever they were fired, making the footage they filmed illegible. In 1944, when Olds was a USAAF fighter pilot, he did not report a battle with two Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, as his gun camera footage was too shaky to confirm the kills; however, a nearby fighter group that witnessed the dogfight confirmed the kills for him. On older aircraft, tail gunner turrets, or

trainer aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristic ...

, gun cameras replace the gun itself, allowing for simulated gunnery practice without actually using a real gun or ammunition. To track the weapon's fire, the guns the cameras are mounted to often use

tracer ammunition Tracer ammunition, or tracers, are bullets or cannon-caliber projectiles that are built with a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. When fired, the pyrotechnic composition is ignited by the burning powder and burns very brightly, making the p ...

; the images or footage produced by the camera also tend to have overlaid reticles.

Firearm camera

Gun cameras on firearms are used in a manner similar to helmet cameras or body cameras. The cameras are mounted as underbarrel attachments and typically record when activated by the user, or automatically when removed from the weapon's holster. Firearm cameras are typically used by

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

to provide clearer images than body cameras, which can be blocked by the arm or weapon while aiming. According to Viridian Weapon Technologies, a company that manufactures gun cameras, "more than 500 agencies across 47

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

" were in the process of testing or adopting firearm cameras as of 2020. Though police said firearm cameras would allow for better police accountability, the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

questioned their effectiveness, stating that it would only record

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...

incidents where the officer drew their weapon, and that even in those incidents, the context leading up to the officer's weapon being drawn would not be captured. Some gun cameras allow the user to see around corners, such as the camera installed in the CornerShot. In this case, they are more similar to holographic weapon sights or tactical fiberscopes than a traditional gun camera.

Gallery

File:American First World War Official Exchange Collection Q113416.jpg, A Hythe gun camera used by the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

during World War I File:Spitfires camera gun film shows tracer ammunition.jpg, Gun camera photo of

fired from a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

striking a

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany a ...

during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

File:EJECTION OF A MIG PILOT - This unusual sequence of photos, taken by gun camera film of a U.S. Air Force F-86 "Sabre"... - NARA - 542261.jpg, A six-frame gun camera sequence of a pilot ejecting from a stricken MiG-15 during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

File:MiG-17 shoot down sequence 3 June 1967.jpg, A three-frame gun camera sequence of a

Vietnam People's Air Force The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF; ), officially the Air Defence - Air Force Service (ADAF Service; ) or the Vietnam Air Force (), is the Aerial warfare, aerial, Anti-aircraft warfare, air and Space warfare, space defence service branch of ...

MiG-17 being shot down by a U.S. Air Force F-105D Thunderchief during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

File:Flight Lieutenant Salim Baig Gun Cam.jpg, Gun camera photo of an

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

Folland Gnat The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic aircraft, subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical comb ...

shortly before being shot down by a

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

F-86F Sabre during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 File:Raven B engaging a man-sized target in front of a Humvee (gun camera view).jpg, An RQ-11 Raven firing a less-lethal weapon at a man-sized target in front of a

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

File:IAF Hunter being shot down by PAF F-86 Sabre (1965 War).jpg, A three frame Gun Camera film from Sharbat Ali Changezi's F-86F Sabre showing an Indian

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet propulsion, jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly dev ...

being shot down over Lahore District during the 1965 War. File:Floating targets seen in the aim sight of a gun camera.jpg, A U.S. military aircraft targeting Somali pirates with its gun camera File:Tornado GR4 Targetting Libyan Tank MOD 45155739.jpg, An RAF Tornado GR4 targeting a Libyan tank, shortly before destroying it with a Brimstone missile, during the

2011 military intervention in Libya On 19 March 2011, a NATO-led coalition began a military intervention into the ongoing Libyan civil war (2011), Libyan Civil War to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 (UNSCR 1973). The UN Security Council passed the reso ...

File:Hawker Hunter G-10 gun camera port.JPG, The G-10 gun camera port (circular hole above nose) of a

References

External links