Abstract: Machine gun apparatus for mounting in association with a support element, such as a portion of a hatch assembly of an armored vehicle, wherein the support element has upper and lower sides which respectively correspond to the exterior and the interior of the vehicle, the machine gun apparatus including a machine gun rotatably mounted onto the upper side of the support element; apparatus for operating said machine gun from the upper side of the support element; and apparatus for operating said machine gun from the lower side of the support element.

Abstract: A command hatch assembly for an armored vehicle, the assembly including base apparatus mounted onto an upper portion of the vehicle and having inner and outer portions, the inner portion defining a hatch opening; a hatch cover associated with the hatch opening; apparatus for mounting the hatch cover onto the outer portion of the base apparatus and enabling rotation of the hatch cover between first and second extreme positions, the hatch cover closing the hatch opening when in the first extreme position, and resting on an adjacent portion of the upper portion of the vehicle when in the second extreme position; and apparatus for permitting relative rotation between the inner portion of the base apparatus and the hatch cover when the hatch cover is not in the first extreme position.