A Russian missile test quickly went haywire after a launch north of the Arctic Circle. The supersonic anti-ship missile spiraled out of control, striking an apartment building. There were no casualties on the ground.

Russian defense contractor NPO Mashinostroyeniya launched a P-800 anti-ship missile from the Nenoksa testing range on December 15th, 11n a.m. local time. The testing range is near the city of Archangelsk, roughly six hundred miles north of Moscow. According to state news agency TASS, the missile damaged four apartments and the building roof. The apartment complex had apparently been evacuated prior to the launch.

The missile was likely a P-800 Oniks anti-ship missile. Known to NATO as the SS-N-26, the missile uses a ramjet powered by kerosene fuel to travel at speeds of up to Mach 2.5. The P-800 is used by Indonesia, Syria, Vietnam, and Russia.

The test missile was almost certainly unarmed. A P-800 normally carries a 550-pound high explosive warhead designed to destroy warships—if the P-800 had actually been armed, it likely would have obliterated the entire apartment building.

Images via defendingrussia.ru

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