Military Training Exercise Goes Awry as Rotary Gun Spins Out of Control

​A viral video circulating on social media has captured a harrowing training failure involving Russian troops, as a high-powered, aircraft-mounted rotary machine gun spun uncontrollably during a live-fire drill.

​The footage depicts a soldier attempting to operate a YakB-12.7 rotary machine gun—a four-barrel weapon typically reserved for the nose turret of the Mil Mi-24 “Hind” attack helicopter—that had been adapted for ground use. As the gunner opened fire, the intense recoil, which the weapon’s specialized helicopter mounting system is designed to absorb, overwhelmed the improvised ground mount.

​The heavy firearm immediately broke loose and began to rotate violently. The force of the uncontrolled spinning threw the gunner from his position and sent rounds spraying across the training range. Nearby troops were seen scrambling for cover to avoid being hit by the errant fire. Another soldier eventually managed to intervene and bring the weapon to a stop.

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​While the incident has drawn sharp criticism from military analysts and online observers alike, there have been no confirmed reports of injuries. Experts point out that the YakB-12.7, which is capable of firing between 4,000 and 5,000 rounds per minute, produces extreme angular recoil. They argue that attempting to fire such an aviation-grade weapon from a non-standard, ground-based setup without significant engineering modifications poses a severe safety risk.

​The location and date of the incident remain unverified, though some observers speculate the troops were part of a mobile fire group tasked with drone defense. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the footage, and its authenticity continues to be a subject of intense debate among open-source intelligence analysts.

​Russian rotary gun training accident

​This video provides visual context for the incident described, showing the moment the weapon lost stability and the subsequent reaction of the soldiers on the range.