Past: "Alligator" fired a volley at the audience & nbsp. Past: "Alligator" fired a volley at the audience & nbsp Helicopter attacked during the exercises

At the next stage of the Russian-Belarusian military exercises “West-2017”, an emergency happened: at the Luzhsky training ground near St. Petersburg, an involuntary launch of air-to-ground missiles from a Ka-52 helicopter took place.

“They flew at the target, there were 500 meters left, according to the instructions on the combat path, the weapons chains were turned on, they turned on, but something went short there, and the missiles went off by themselves. The fragments have a large spread, at least two cars burned down, two people were seriously injured, now they are in the hospital. Most likely, journalists suffered,” an informed source told 66.RU.

The exact date of the incident is not known. “It happened yesterday or the day before yesterday,” our interlocutor said. It should be noted, according to the press service of the Western Military District, on September 17, “as part of the joint strategic exercise Zapad-2017 at the Luzhsky training ground, the crews of the Mi-28N and Ka-52 attack helicopters of the army aviation of the Western Military District worked out the tasks of aerial reconnaissance, drawing missile attack on ground targets and cover the ground grouping of troops from the air.

Consequences of the impact

Judging by the video, there are no signs of a car fire. The Niva car closest to the place of impact has only a broken side glass, the military KAMAZ was mainly damaged. Accordingly, we can talk about disinformation thrown in by 66.RU and the same about the wounded.

Copy of someone else's materials

Used sources:

Due to the failure of military equipment, two people ended up in the hospital. Most likely, the incident occurred shortly before Vladimir Putin's visit to the training ground.

Video: Alexey Zemlyakov / YouTube

Accidental missile launch allegedly occurred during Zapad-2017 exercise

The joint strategic exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus "West-2017", during which, presumably, the incident occurred, are held from September 14 to 20. On September 17, the press service reported that the ZVO helicopters during the exercises demonstrated the tactics of destroying a highly mobile enemy from ambushes.

The source of Lenta.ru confirmed the accidental launch of Alligator missiles

As sources involved in the organization of the Zapad-2017 exercises told Lente.ru, the incident really took place. On the evening of September 18, at the Luga artillery range, during the passage of two Ka-52 combat helicopters, one of them fired an unauthorized salvo with two ATGMs. One of the shells hit the ground near the parking lot of civilian cars. It is known about two victims, but the nature of their injuries is not specified. According to some reports, both received injuries and bruises during the fall, according to others, both had minor shrapnel wounds.

According to the source, the scene was immediately cordoned off by the military police, and part of the events for guests and journalists covering the maneuvers were canceled without explanation. In the morning, a conversation was held with the servicemen - the officers demanded that the incident be kept secret. However, immediately after it, the video of the incident hit the network.

Currently, investigators from the military investigation department are working at the training ground and in the air unit, the helicopter itself is sealed and is located at one of the sites. The arrival of a special commission is expected.

A note appeared on social networks, presumably describing the moment of the incident.

“Circumstances of the AIS. On September 16, 2017, a couple of Lieutenant Colonel Smakhtin A.V. (slave senior lieutenant Volchkov A.S.) took off from the air. Pushkin at 14:00, flight to the Luga training ground according to Ex. 456 KBP AA-2012 "test flight of a pair to perform fire missions". At 14:47 Moscow time, after receiving permission from the RP of the training ground, when performing the third approach on the combat course, H = 50 m., V = 200 km / h, when the main switch was turned on, the NAR S-8 room spontaneously descended. slave pair. Crew commander, senior lieutenant Volchkov A.S. reported the RP of the landfill, stopped the task, completed it on the air. Pushkin landing without consequences. On the ground, 3 people were slightly injured and 2 cars were damaged.

Photo: page "Accident and emergency | St. Petersburg" in "VKontakte"

The Ministry of Defense issued a rebuttal

The Ministry of Defense stated that the frames that got into the network were not related to the Zapad-2017 exercises. “All messages on social networks about volleys on a crowd of journalists, a large number of seriously wounded people are a deliberate provocation or someone’s personal stupidity,” the representatives of the Western Military District (ZVO) are quoting.

According to the military, the video recorded another case when helicopter crews practiced hitting ground targets as part of a tactical flight exercise. “The guidance system of one of the helicopters made an erroneous target acquisition. As a result of a hit by an unguided rocket, one of the trucks without people was damaged, ”the ZVO commented on the incident. Where and when the unauthorized launch occurred, the military department did not report.

The incident with the "Alligator" near St. Petersburg is not the first in recent times

September 7, that a tank ammunition exploded at a training ground in the Leningrad Region. One soldier was killed, five were injured. The incident occurred during planned tank firing. The projectile deviated from the trajectory on contact with the ground and exploded near the shelter of military engineers. The injured are receiving medical assistance. A ZVO commission is working at the scene of the incident.

Due to the failure of military equipment, two people ended up in the hospital. Most likely, the incident occurred shortly before Vladimir Putin's visit to the training ground. At the next stage of the Russian-Belarusian military exercises “West-2017”, an emergency happened: at the Luzhsky training ground near St. Petersburg, an involuntary launch of air-to-ground missiles from a Ka-52 helicopter took place.

“They flew at the target, there were 500 meters left, according to the instructions on the combat path, the weapons chains were turned on, they turned on, but something went short there, and the missiles went off by themselves. The fragments have a large spread, at least two cars burned down, two people were seriously injured, now they are in the hospital. It was training before some show. Most likely, journalists suffered,” an informed source told 66.RU.

The exact date of the incident is not known. “It happened yesterday or the day before yesterday,” our interlocutor said. It should be noted, according to the press service of the Western Military District, on September 17, “as part of the joint strategic exercise Zapad-2017 at the Luzhsky training ground, the crews of the Mi-28N and Ka-52 attack helicopters of the army aviation of the Western Military District worked out the tasks of aerial reconnaissance, drawing missile attack on ground targets and cover the ground grouping of troops from the air.

Press Service of the Western Military District:

- During aerial reconnaissance, the flight crew worked out the most complex elements of flight training - flights at extremely low altitudes with terrain avoidance. The pilots operated in pairs and formations, flying in bearing formation at established intervals and distances. The leading crew had to, upon detecting targets on the ground, distribute targets for each of the slave crews for the most effective air strike. The pilots launched unguided rockets, and also used airborne cannon weapons, while destroying more than 20 targets imitating columns of equipment, firing positions, fortifications and other objects of a mock enemy.

The joint strategic exercise "West-2017" of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus takes place from 14 to 20 September. Yesterday, September 18, the Luga training ground was visited by the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu.

Kremlin press service:

- The exercises "West-2017" are held on September 14-20 at the training grounds of Russia and Belarus with the involvement of about 12.7 thousand military personnel, about 70 aircraft and helicopters, up to 680 units of military equipment, including about 250 tanks, up to 200 guns, jet salvo fire systems and mortars, as well as 10 ships.

The Russian-Belarusian exercises caused concern among the leaders of neighboring states. Thus, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said that the maneuvers simulate a real conflict with NATO countries, and criticized the "hidden scale and scenarios of the exercises." This speaks “of the aggressive nature of the Zapad exercises,” Grybauskaite complained to UN Secretary General António Guterres.

Video: RBC

At the State Unitary Enterprise Sevastopol Aviation Enterprise, which is engaged in the modernization of Ka-52 helicopters, RBC could not name the reasons for the incident. “The commission is investigating why unguided rockets went off because of the main switch,” Stanislav Tkachiboroda, chief engineer and technical director of the Sevastopol Aviation Plant, told RBC. “Until now, in my practice, such cases have not been encountered,” said Tkachiboroda.

Ka-52- Russian combat attack helicopter, designed to destroy enemy manpower and equipment on the battlefield. Equipped with the Samshit-E optoelectronic system, which allows you to select a target. "Samshit-E" consists of a thermal imager, a laser designator and a laser beam direction finder. The machine is also equipped with the Arbalet-52 radar, one of the channels of which is used to search for ground targets and allows the helicopter to maneuver at low altitudes at high speed. Depending on the received combat mission, the helicopter is equipped with various types of weapons at hardpoints: six NURS units, cannon containers, R-73 and Igla-V missiles. The helicopter is armed with a 30mm movable cannon. In total, the helicopter can take on board 2000 kg of various missiles and bombs.

A malfunction in the weapon control system was the cause of the spontaneous firing of missiles, this version is considered as a priority by the experts of the commission, a source familiar with the investigation told RBC. “They are studying the means of objective control: the parameters of flight recorders, as well as recording crew conversations. Then test flights will be carried out, repeating the events of September 16, ”the source said. According to him, the version of a malfunction in the weapon control system arose after the pilots described their sequence of actions during the flight in explanatory notes.

“For the Ka-52, the main switch is the fuse for the entire armament chain,” says First Class test pilot Yuri Khudyakov. According to him, in order to fire a shot, the pilot uses the main switch, and then selects the type of weapon. “If the missiles fell off immediately after the switch was used, then we are talking about a malfunction in the helicopter’s weapon control system. Most likely, stray currents became the cause of the incident: a random impulse that set the missiles in motion, ”Yuri Khudyakov is sure.

According to the results of the check

Representatives of the military prosecutor's office are studying the circumstances of the incident, said a RBC source familiar with the investigation. If it is proved that the incident occurred as a result of a malfunction in the Ka-52 weapons system, then the perpetrators will most likely not be identified, the source said. “The conclusions of the special commission will be sent to the aviation enterprise engaged in armament of the Ka-52, along with the idea of ​​eliminating a technical malfunction,” the source is sure. “The pilots made the third approach to the target, and before that the weapon worked properly, which means that an unpredictable failure occurred, therefore, there can be no question of any responsibility of the pilots,” a source familiar with the investigation said.

A criminal case against the officials responsible for conducting the Zapad-2017 exercises will be initiated if it can be proved that the incident occurred as a result of their negligence. This is stated by the interlocutor of RBC, who is familiar with the materials of the audit. The Zapad-2017 exercises are taking place in Russia and Belarus. The incident took place on the territory of the Western Military District. The district troops are commanded by Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov.

The Ministry of Defense denied the veracity of reports that several people were injured as a result of an accidental rocket fire from a Russian Ka-52 reconnaissance and attack helicopter during the West-2017 phase of military exercises at the Luzhsky training ground near St. Petersburg.

“The guidance system of one of the helicopters made an erroneous target acquisition. As a result of an unguided missile hit, one of the trucks without people was damaged, ”the press service of the Western Military District said.

At the same time, the representative of the Western Military District emphasized that the video recording of the shot, published earlier on the Internet, was made “in a different period of time, when the crews of army aviation helicopters were practicing an exercise to defeat ground targets as part of a tactical flight exercise.” According to him, on September 18, "there were no incidents related to the work of army aviation."

According to Fontanka.Ru, on the morning of September 19, several videos from the exercises that have been held at the training ground near Luga since yesterday were posted on the Internet. The footage shows how an unauthorized closure of the firing circuit occurred at a military helicopter, that is, it fired at the wrong target.

Three shells hit the area where military equipment was located and spontaneous parking of both military and civilian vehicles was formed. Two military vehicles - a truck and a passenger car - definitely suffered from the blast wave. They also say that a person was shell-shocked by the blast wave.

Military investigators are now investigating the incident. It is possible that a case will be initiated under the article on violation of the safety rules for the use of military-technical means. At the same time, the 66.Ru resource reported that during the emergency, two people received a shell shock.

“They flew at the target, there were 500 meters left, according to the instructions on the combat path, the weapons chains were turned on, they turned on, but something went short there, and the missiles went off by themselves. The fragments have a large spread, at least two cars burned down, two people were seriously injured, now they are in the hospital. It was training before some show. Most likely, journalists suffered,” said an informed source.

After the news spread on the Web, journalists asked the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov about what had happened. He was also asked the question because Russian leader Vladimir Putin arrived at the test site around the same time. The representative of the head of state declined to comment on the incident.

“This question should be asked to the Ministry of Defense, and not to the presidential administration,” he said.

Professional pilot Vitaly Sokolovsky explained that such unintentional shots at third-party targets happen to military equipment in all countries of the world, including during exercises, NSN reports.

“This is a technique, and the technique is complex. Naturally, she may have failures. In history, there have been unauthorized shots on military aircraft. And here, in Russia, and abroad.

It's probably either a short circuit or something wrong with the weapon. It is also possible that the pilot has unintentionally pressed the PTT or given the command to launch. This should be sorted out by a competent commission, which, of course, will be assembled, ”he stressed.

Last week, a US soldier was killed in an incident at the Fort Bragg military base, which is located in North Carolina. Alexander Dalida, a 32-year-old native of Massachusetts, died. In addition, seven other servicemen received various injuries.

On September 7, during an exercise at a military training ground in the Leningrad Region, an explosion occurred during scheduled firing from a tank.

“One of the shells deviated from the trajectory when it touched the ground (ricochet) and exploded in the immediate vicinity of the shelter, in which there were six servicemen of the engineering support group,” the ZVO press service said.

As a result of the incident, one soldier was killed and five others were injured. All the victims were taken to medical facilities, they are being treated. A ZVO commission is working at the site of the explosion.