What goes up, must come down! Russian army’s rocket launch test goes terribly wrong when missile drops straight back down and explodes in front of them 

  • S300 barely takes off before plunging back to the ground
  • Minute-long clip shows people dashing for cover as rocket hits ground
  • Mishap comes shortly after footage of crash killing missile engineers

By Kate Pickles For Mailonline

Published: 05:02 EST, 22 April 2015 | Updated: 06:05 EST, 22 April 2015

Embarrassing footage has emerged of a missile launch going spectacularly wrong in Russia.

The minute-long clip shows the S300 rocket barely managing to take off before plummeting back down to earth.

A small thud can be heard and bits of debris fly off as the weapon makes a feeble attempt to launch at the military base in an unknown part of Russia. 

Lift off: The rocket just about launches with debris and a plume of smoke clearly visible next to the Russian flag

Lift off: The rocket just about launches with debris and a plume of smoke clearly visible next to the Russian flag

Up and down: The S300 rocket barely manages to take off before it starts plummeting back down to earth
Up and down: The S300 rocket barely manages to take off before it starts plummeting back down to earth

Up and down: The S300 rocket barely manages to take off before it starts plummeting back down to earth

It scarcely gets off the launchpad and is followed by a small plume of smoke, before it can be seen dropping out of the sky as shouts can be heard from those watching.

Seconds later, the rocket goes out of view as whoever is filming takes cover and a huge explosion can be heard.

The shaky camera returns to a massive plume of smoke.

The leaked footage will be of some embarrassment to Vladimir Putin who as grown the Russian defence budget has grown by 33 per cent to £54billion over the past year. 

It comes not long after shocking footage emerged of failed another rocket launch which killed six Russian ballistic missile technicians. 

Bang: A loud explosion can be heard before plumes of smoke are clearly visible following the failed launch of a rocket in Russia

Bang: A loud explosion can be heard before plumes of smoke are clearly visible following the failed launch of a rocket in Russia

Footage of the accident, which happened several months ago but officials tried to keep quiet, was posted on social network sites.

It happened near Donetsk in the Ukraine where it is believed the missile was about to be fired against government forces.

A second OTR-21 Tochka missile was successfully launched a few seconds later from the wreckage, but there is nothing left of the launch site controlled by Russian backed militia. 

It shows a deafening explosion in a field with plumes of white smoke rising quickly into the atmosphere.

A second missile, which would also have been programmed, is still launched from the wreckage a few seconds later, presumably heading towards its intended target.

 

 

 

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