Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Central European News 

Video Credit: CEN/@LastDef

This footage shows an American-made AH-64 Apache gunship helicopter crashing in flames after being struck by a Russian-made missile.

The image as the helicopter goes down in flames reportedly cost the lives of the two pilots in a clash on the Arab peninsula, apparently in Yemen.

It was reportedly a Saudi craft although experts noted that the UAE, which is a partner in a Saudi-led military coalition operating in the region has the same craft.

In the video, the stricken craft can be seen crashing in a plume of smoke behind a steep cliff. The crash, however, can be heard as it hits the ground.

The missile was reportedly a Soviet-engineered Osa (“Wasp”, NATO reporting name SA-8 Gecko) used in air defence, according to a social media posting on Twitter that could not be independently verified.

Created in the 1970s, the mobile surface-to-air missile system that can hit low-altitude targets at a range of 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) and which has since been sold to many countries for defence.

The helicopter has a nose-mounted sensor suite including night vision to identify a target and is typically equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods as well as a machine gun that on this occasion did not help it defend itself from a direct hit.

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