A Gimbal attached to a fighter jet

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As we already know, Gimbals are fantastic camera stabilizers, so great, you can actually attach one to your Fighter jet!

The gimbal that was used wasn’t no ordinary gimbal, but a 5-axis GSS 520 gimbal. This was and still is the only gimbal that can withstand 300 plus knots and still capture beautiful videos for the fighter jet. Most aerial gimbals are designed to be connected to helicopters and small, lightweight airplanes, but never has any gimbal been set the task of filming a sonic speeds….until now.

Blue Sky (an aerial filming company) challenged GGS to build a gimbal that could be attached to a jet fighter, withstand winds of up to 300 knots and still shoot amazing, smooth video footage.

The technology behind this challenge

Although the challenge seemed difficult to say the least, GGS accepted the challenge and the GSS 520 was born.

The GSS 520 5 axis gyro gimbal is small that some of its counterparts but is much more tough and robust, as it needed to be to withstand winds of over 300 knots. It is equipped with an auto-calibrated horizon reference to ensure the gimbal is always in focus. Also in the locker is an unique feature to film directly downwards at 90 degrees, without locking the gimbal in place as with other models.

The GGS 520 still has the ability to pan left and right and is ITAR free, that means you can fly with the gimbal attached to your jet fighter without any red tape restrictions (permits are usually required), with other similar aerial gimbals that are normally connected to helicopters.

One of the testers of the gimbal, that was sat in the back seat of the fighter jet explains in the video description that the image transmitted from the HD monitor in the cockpit was almost flawless, despite the fact the temperature was around  -20C on the ground and much much colder at high altitude.

He added, “I could zoom all the way up to 300mm and the image was perfect, even at 300 knots”. No matter what they threw at the gyro, it always performed effortlessly. They even decided to give the jet flighter a 360 degree roll and the gimbal simply corrected itself, rotated and delivered smooth footage.

Aerial videography with a gimbal

There you have it, gimbals can even be used on fighter jets and they still produce crystal clear images. If you was ever doubting how effective a gimbal would be, let’s say attached to your motorcycle, then here you solid proof that a gimbal is exactly what you need to film professional imagery, no matter who or what the gimbal is attached to.

Although this was a specially designed gimbal for the jet fighter, it was put through some rigorous testing (just like your smaller versions, when shooting extreme sports) and as always, the gimbal fought back and delivered.

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