I believe the article states that they need the weapons when taking off and landing.
If such is being done in Vertical Lift, the props are out of the way.
That only leaves the landing gear, and even so, would still allow a large radius circle of ground coverage.
“I believe the article states that they need the weapons when taking off and landing.”
“If such is being done in Vertical Lift, the props are out of the way.”
Door guns are the best option. A mechanical “stop” could be used to keep them from firing upward into the props and another “stop” could disable the guns when the props are forward in airplane mode.
A belly turret is expensive, you won’t see it for years, it takes up cabin room, it reduces range, it’s less reliable, and I’m not even sure there’s enough clearance between the belly and the ground.