Russian Soldier Thrown Off Vehicle While Testing Helicopter Machine Gun

A video circulating on social media shows a Russian military unit mounting a YakB-12.7 machine gun onto an off-road vehicle. The weapon was originally designed for Soviet-made Mil Mi-24 attack and transport helicopters. During a test firing, one of the soldiers apparently underestimated the gun's extremely powerful recoil.

As soon as he fired a burst, the force of the recoil spun him around and threw him off the vehicle. His fellow soldier had to duck at the last second to avoid the stream of bullets. The dramatic footage quickly went viral online.

The YakB-12.7 is a four-barrel 12.7 mm machine gun renowned for its exceptionally high rate of fire, capable of firing between 4,000 and 5,000 rounds per minute. It was first introduced on Mil Mi-24 helicopters in 1973.