Originally Posted by
S'land
The idea of a fighter with guns that fired upwards at a 45° angle were not really new. The Air Ministry had issued specification F.29/27 calling for an aircraft design that incorporated an upward firing Coventry Ordinance Works 37 mm automatic gun. Three designs were submitted: Vickers (Type 161), Westland (C.O.W. Gun Fighter) and Bristol (Type 112). The Vickers and Westland designs were actually built and trials were made in 1931.
It did not even need to be as technical as that - on a/c fitted with the 'Foster' type mounting for a Lewis gun on the top wing - these guns could be fired whilst angled upwards - this allowed attacks to be made from underneath EA blind spots.