British soldiers opened fire on tank during training exercise, 'mistaking it for an enemy'
Crew inside a British armoured vehicle engaged a friendly unit after misidentifying it as an enemy target.
Crew inside the FV510 Warrior British armoured vehicle (IVF) – equipped with a 30mm Rarden cannon – mistook the Challenger 2 for an enemy tank, after spotting it through a thermal scope around 500 metres away.
The Warrior crew performed an emergency shoot, firing on fully automatic and emptying both the cannon's three-clip magazines.
Blue on blue
Luckily, the Rarden cannon was loaded with inert practice rounds instead of high-explosive or armour-piercing rounds normally used in combat.
Five rounds struck the Challenger 2 but ricocheted off due to its world-beating Dorchester armour.
None of the four crew members inside was hurt in the incident at Castlemartin training area in Pembrokeshire, which saw soldiers from the Royal Tank Regiment train with The Royal Welsh Regiment.
Both units will soon be deployed to Estonia to defend Nato's eastern flank.
Commenting on the incident, an MOD spokesperson said: "The safety of the public and our service personnel is an absolute priority, and we immediately launched a formal investigation following the incident. The incident took place on private land with no access to the public.
"No civilians or service personnel were injured, and no vehicles were damaged, with Challenger having already returned to training.
"All live-firing exercises are subject to the highest standards of safety. The rounds used were practice rounds, with no armoured piercing or high explosive properties."
When drills turn deadly
The incident is the second report of friendly fire this week, after a special forces soldier shot a comrade seven times after mistakenly using live ammunition during a training exercise, the Sun revealed.
Bulford Military Court heard that the victim, named as Soldier A, suffered serious, life-changing injuries to his left forearm, abdomen, chest and right arm.
He also suffered post-traumatic stress and was medically discharged.
The court heard that the shooter, named as Soldier B, had mistakenly reloaded with live ammunition while reloading at speed in the dark.
Judge England found he had fired 23 live rounds in the course of the exercise, but it was the "last seven rounds that caused the life-changing injuries".
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