A Hellfire missile launcher was accidentally ejected from a US Army AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopter. Taiwan (ROKA). The incident took place on Wednesday (03) during a military exercise in Pingtung County, in the south of the country.
Army Aviation Special Troops Command said one of the launchers ended up falling from the aircraft as it fired flares. The equipment is attached to the helicopter's wings and can carry four air-to-ground missiles. AGM-114 Hellfire. Officials believe that the launcher's jettison button it may have been pressed accidentally.
The Army reinforced that the fall of the missile launcher did not damage the ground. The material has already been recovered. After the incident, the Apache landed safely and the event is already being investigated.
Images captured by the TVBS News channel show the helicopter without the right wing launcher.
Second incident since 2014
According to focus taiwan, this is the second incident with an Apache since the model arrived in the country in 2013. In April 2014, an AH-64E collided with a building in the municipality of Taoyuan, a neighboring city of the capital Taipei.
Nobody was injured, but the two crew of the aircraft were declared responsible for the accident. An investigation revealed that they misjudged changes in weather conditions.
Taiwan has a fleet of 29 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters. In all, 30 aircraft were acquired in 2008 in a contract valued at US$1.91 billion. The first six Apaches arrived in the country in November 2013, while the last units were delivered in 2014.
The helicopters have the AN/APG-78 Longbow radar, capable of operating day and night and in any weather conditions. All Taiwanese Apaches are operated by the Army's 601st Aviation Brigade.
