Originally Posted by
bgbazz
The photo almost certainly depicts the guys known as 'Ravens'...
the gun is not mounted on the engine cowl, but on the wing. Use the helmet for reference and it will become clearer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s76hLt3-hHo
I very much doubt that.
The YouTube video shows (at 7:58) a rocket pod on the the port wing of what is probably (judging from the nose decal) the same or a similar Bird Dog.
The machine-gun in the photo features two support legs whose only function, if fitted on the wing, would be to bang around in the slipstream. Not to mention the difficulty of arranging to activate the trigger mechanism of a weapon borrowed from the infantry and the problem of devising a strong enough pick-up on the engine cowling.
I have little doubt that it's posed purely for the photo.