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What's faster than a speeding bullet? The Dutch F-16 that shot itself.
The Netherlands' Defense Safety Inspection Agency (Inspectie Veiligheid Defensie) is investigating an incident during a January military exercise in which a Dutch Air Force F-16 was damaged by live fire from a 20-millimeter cannon—its own 20-millimeter cannon. At least one round fired from the aircraft's M61A1 Vulcan Gatling gun struck the aircraft as it fired at targets on the Dutch military's Vliehors range on the island of Vlieland, according to a report from the Netherlands' NOS news service.
Two F-16s were conducting firing exercises on January 21. It appears that the damaged aircraft actually caught up with the 20mm rounds it fired as it pulled out of its firing run. At least one of them struck the side of the F-16's fuselage, and parts of a round were ingested by the aircraft's engine. The F-16's pilot managed to land the aircraft safely at Leeuwarden Air Base.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Thursday May 16 2019, @05:47PM (1 child)
I almost made the same claim but found no source, leaving it a vaguely recalled anecdote which might not be true.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Revek on Thursday May 16 2019, @10:26PM
My source was this huge book I got for Christmas when I was a child. It had what undoubtedly is probably classified data today on every jet in the US inventory. It was two and a half feet long by a foot and half wide and seven hundred pages. Alas I had a cousin who took it and I haven't seen it for twenty five years.
But here is a Wikipedia page about the first plane to shoot itself down/a [wikipedia.org]
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