"Eurofighter AA missiles question" Topic

On Tuesday this week Estonian MoD reported that during patrol Spanish Eurofighter had accidentially fired AA missile with live ammo.
They have approximate location of the accident but there's no idea where it have landed. Today Estonians has even made an assumption that the missile could have ended on Russian territory.
What is the range we're talking about here? They were reltively close to the border, but initial search attempts were carried over near Tartu.
Also, I thought there's a self-destruct mechanism on these missiles, right? It seems that there was no explosion, otherwise they would not be in trouble looking for it.
As a result, NATO replaced Spanish planes with Portuguese till the end of the accident investigation.

Anyway, we're lucky it ended this way. Imagine what could have happened if it acquired a target in Estonian or Russian airspace.

Here's another report of the incident. They don't know if the errant missile self-destructed or not and have a rough idea of where it might have landed if it did not self-destruct.

link

Bair, do you have a website somewhere?

No, but if you want to contact me you can write to barin.steelhand et gmail.com

Update: Estonian MoD has announced that the missile exploded in the forest on Estonian territory "with 95% probability" ;)

Ooops!

Someone is going to lose stripes over that…

I remember in the 70's a Sidewinder dropped off a Phantom at RAF Leuchers and headed towards the golf course at St Andrews. Same thing also happened in a mock dogfight over Germany, fortunately the missile missed. As the saying goes stuff happens.

An AIM-9 Sidewinder failed to detonate over the Straits of Taiwan and rode home in the back of a Red Chinese Mig. I see an Ultra-modern Search and Destroy/Recover scenario coming up.

Estonian MoD had to acknowledge that they still can't find the missile. Either stolen by aliens or by us ever-guilty Russians.

I guess that is the answer to the age olde question, "what could possibly go wrong".