Norwegian Fighter Jet Mistakenly Fires at Own Control Tower

It hit the tower but the three Norwegian officers inside were unharmed

A Norwegian fighter jet came close to gunning down three military officers after it mistakenly shot at a control tower on a training exercise, officials said Monday.

The F-16 was one of two aircraft firing at ground targets on the island of Tarva, off Norway's west coast. The incident happened just after midnight on April 13 but officials only revealed the mishap Monday, NBC News reported.

Somehow the Royal Norwegian Air Force aircraft machine-gunned the control tower 1,500 feet away from the nearest target, air force spokesman Stian Roen told NBC News.

The jet was armed with a 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon, which can fire up to 6,000 rounds per minute. It hit the tower but the three Norwegian officers inside were unharmed.

The pilot and the three officers had an immediate debrief with investigators, who are attempting to determine what went wrong.

 

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