Turrets
With the introduction of the "high speed" bomber came a need to protect the gunner from the elements and to give protection but retain the wide firing arcs and so the power driven multi-gun turret evolved. One of the first instances was the single nose mounted turret of the Boulton Paul Overstrand twin engine biplane bomber that served with the RAF, and the almost simultaneous introduction of the much more advanced Martin B-10 all-metal monoplane bomber with the US Army Air Corps.
For maximum efficiency the bomber turret needed to be able to rotate in all directions and cover as wide a range of elevation as possible — this meant that there would be some combinations of elevation and direction where the turret was aiming at some part of the aircraft itself. To prevent the guns firing an electrical system was used. The guns were fired by solenoids and by introducing a break in the electrical power to the guns that coincided with the forbidden arcs of fire the aircraft would be safe from its own guns. The Boulton Paul design used a brass drum and brush contacts that corresponded to the direction of the turret and angle of the guns. Where the brass was removed and replaced with insulating material the electrical circuit would be broken and the guns prevented from firing.
Read more about this topic: Interrupter Gear
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