Originally Posted by
bgbazz
the gun is not mounted on the engine cowl, but on the wing. Use the helmet for reference and it will become clearer.
Not convinced, I'm afraid! If it's wing-mounted why is it so far forward (it would be very floppy in that position and wouldn't hold straight), and what are the bipod legs doing? If it was wing-mounted to would surely be on the existing hardpoint like the rocket pod (built into the 0-1 for target markers), and that would put it much further back and a long way out on the port wing. In fact unless the perspective is screwed if it really WAS that far away it would have to be something over 50mm calibre, and I doubt the O-1 could actually carry that kind of recoil stresses on a wing-mount.
I had originally assumed it was a 0.50-calibre of some sort, but I think it's a bigger crew-served gun - I think the chap on the left is actually wearing the belt of its ammunition, and they look more like 20mm shells than 0.50-cal.
So I'm sticking to my original theory - I recon it's a crew-served infantry weapon of some kind which has been placed on the engine cowl to pose it for the picture.
YMMV,
PDR
Edit - in fact now I've viewed that video (interesting link - thanks!) I think the gun is actually one of these:
