A video has emerged reportedly showing a Russian attack helicopter accidentally striking spectators while taking part in the Zapad 2017 military exercise.
According to an unofficial source, two journalists were hospitalised with serious injuries and two vehicles were damaged/destroyed due to a weapons malfunction aboard the Russian attack helicopter.
There has been no official report from the Russian military yet.
It is understood that one of the pair of Ka-52 attack helicopters flying in an attack formation accidentally fired a rocket toward the crowd that gathered at the Luzhsky training ground near St. Petersburg, according to local media outlet 66.ru.
The sites unnamed source suggested that the launch of air-to-ground missiles occurred accidentally due to technical malfunctions:
“They were flying engaged on target, there was some 500 metres left to it and the weapon chains got locked on the mission’s attack route, they turned on, but there was some kind of a short circuit and missiles were launched without command.
Missile fragments projected across a wide area. At least two vehicles were burnt down, two people were seriously injured, now they are at the hospital. Most probably, it was journalists who got hit.”
Zapad, which means “west” in Russian, is the reincarnation of a Soviet-era training exercise that involved Warsaw Pact countries, and is carried out every four years.
Ka-52 helicopter accidentally fires two S-8 rockets (hardware malfunction) at the reporters covering Russian Zapad 2017 drills pic.twitter.com/kPET4pThn1
— Warfare Worldwide (@WarfareWW) September 19, 2017
Doh!
Is there any Russian offensive weaponry system that isn’t second rate and unreliable
no
Their SAM.
Where do you stand on these latest Russian exercises?
well to the side…
Can’t think of a single system the UK has that’s better than Ivan’s equivalent.
Maybe the AH-64.
Deployed or in the pipeline?
Well one certainly has to admit that the Russian stuff is lethal thats for sure.
uk attack subs are better ,the uk chally 2 tank is better t45 destroyer is better than any russian navy ship so joe stop being self defeatist or are you RUSSIAN YOURSELF?
Infantry
Russia has the numbers to be a military threat but the bulk of their equipment is old and in a poor state. Their latest equipment is still at the T&E stage and in very low numbers.
Malfunction my behind…..have you ever seen the Russian driving videos??
Russian junk…
lol
Guy must have sneezed and hit the trigger lol
That’s one way to deal with fake news…
That’ll leave a mark
Stories like this really do undermine the notion that Russian forces are currently a threat. Although I guess sheer weight of numbers and weapons system would likely overwhelm our small but superior military.
just as well we have our tough and ready EU allies to help defend us…oh wait a minute maybe not that tough, or ready, or prepared, or willing, or even that friendly. EU massive Brexit bill anyone? That will be £60-120 billion for your democratic vote to leave.
Our defence isn’t made by EU it’s by NATO so Brexit has nothing to do with it
“EU massive Brexit bill anyone?” What do you think the Brexit bill should be? And why? What obligations that were agreed by 28 countries should now be paid for by 27? What British EU pensions do you want to or not want to pay? The British government has already agreed we need to pay a sum, we’re just negotiating how much of the laibilities we need to pay. Google “Brexit bill explained” there is a good FT article you can read among others showing that this isn’t a number picked from thin air, the entire bill is costed from their… Read more »
Thanks for your polite comments Kieran. obviously the Brexit bill needs to be as low as possible. The national audit office put the figure at between £7 and 11 billion. This is for our committed and signed up expenditure into the EU project. So far, far less than the £120 billion the EU initially asked for and the now £60 billion they are trying for. yes it is a negotiation and you will always have debate and differences of opinion but this is not that, this is greed. The EU is playing with fire. The world is watching the Brexit… Read more »
Thanks for the reply, No it’s still around £100 billion they are asking for but that’s gross, net is £60 billion when you take into account what we would be getting back. “yes it is a negotiation and you will always have debate and differences of opinion but this is not that, this is greed.” There is no proof that it is greed, what they have asked for is fully costed, basically they are asking for the maximum amount they could get away with asking, they know they won’t get that amount but that’s where you start in negotiations, this… Read more »