Despite the widespread use of photo and video capturing technologies in our modern world, there are still some sights that elude all but the most fortunate (or unfortunate) of us. Bigfoot remains nothing more than a brown blur no matter how many megapixels Apple crams into their new iPhones and although we’re all certain that being on the receiving end of a barrage from a multiple rocket launcher would be scary as hell, the low likelihood of surviving such an encounter makes it unlikely that anyone will send us a video of it on Snapchat any time soon.
Or at least, so you might have thought.
Thanks to Finnish Defence Forces Combat Cameraman Operator Samuli Haapla and his DJI Phantom drone (that apparently lacks any sense of self preservation in its programming), the world can finally see what it’s like to have hot hell literally raining down around you. The drone, which Haapla says was around 40 meters above the impact site of the RM-70 multiple rocket launcher system barrage, hovered around as a whopping 240 artillery rockets impacted the area, some of which even came in over and behind the drone as it flew. While this may void the drone’s warranty, it also provided us with a never-before-seen glimpse into what it’s like to fly above a combat zone when the tides turn against you.
One of the best moments I have had filming at my job. #Pohjoinen17 #maavoimat #drone #filming #lovemyjob pic.twitter.com/CnrS54glbB
— Samuli Haapala (@SamuHaa) May 29, 2019
The clip uploaded to Twitter by Haapla was a part of a larger video produced by the Finnish military demonstrating the deployment of the weapon system and its devastating effect. The Cold War era RM-70 rocket launch platform was built by Czechoslovakia, utilizing an armored truck chassis to carry 40 122-mm rocket tubes on a swivel mount, allowing for rapid firing of its rockets in any direction. Each rocket carries a 42-pound high-explosive payload and the system was designed to rain hundreds of these rockets down on a target area anywhere within 22 kilometers (around 13 miles) of the truck.
Image captured from included video
