Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Sometimes military training doesn’t go according to plan.
A viral video, first reported by the New York Post, shows what appears to be a Russian recruit losing control of a mounted helicopter machine gun during a live-fire training exercise with nearly disastrous results.
The footage shows the rookie preparing to fire a YakB-12.7 helicopter machine gun that had been mounted on a fixed training stand. Moments after pulling the trigger, the weapon’s recoil spins both the gun and the soldier around the turret.
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Unable to hold on, the recruit is eventually flung from the mount and disappears from the frame.
The machine gun continues firing briefly before coming to a stop. An instructor, who appears to have narrowly avoided being struck during the chaotic sequence, then gets back to his feet as other soldiers rush over to check on him. Laughter can also be heard in the background.
It’s unclear exactly when or where the training exercise took place, and the condition of those involved has not been publicly reported.
The clip has since spread widely online, with many viewers pointing to the importance of proper training and respecting the power of crew-served weapons.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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Yeah, as another person commented the reason it gets out of control and spins is because it’s mounted off center on the pintle mount – it’s a bad design.
Strangely, I noticed that on the first rotation as it spun. Apparently, the physicist on the mount design team quit immediately after he was poo-pooed by other members when he pointed out that relocating the MG to the center of the mounts rotational axis was very necessary. Rumor has it that he walked across the border and was hired by Zelensky. Hmmmm.
It’s mounted off center of the mount/axis. No wonder it spun. I would assume it was either a bad design on this training mount setup or it has some sort of damper system that failed.
Lock the gun down or yourself into turret pre firing
I can’t stop laughing lol… and we worry about getting into a war with these guys?
The mount for the gun should have had limited turning radius. If they had that turret in a helo that would have been the end of it and the crew.
If that’s an example of military training and Ukraine is a prime example of Russian military tactics as well as equipment performance and reliability, it makes me wonder, mainly because of the expense involved as well as the CONSTANT maintenance requirements on nuclear weapons, much less 60+ year old nuclear weapons, ARE Russia’s nuclear weapons functional or ARE they just bluffing??
Wow – a .51 caliber thumper that fires up to 5000 per minute?!?😮 That would make a mess out of a helicopter — IF you can hang on to it!
Larry, Moe and Curly
Maybe this is why the Russians have not been able to defeat Ukraine, a much smaller nation. Or the Russians are running out of qualified candidates for war.
Gotta love the yellow “Monroe Magnum” gas shocks under the front end. Lol.
now thats funny as shit!!!!
The part I can’t believe is that the guy that stopped the gun from spinning actually grabbed the barrels
totally missed that…….i was watching the guy fly and the one that almost got his head shot off.