A WARPLANE strikes a seagull at an airshow display — shattering the cockpit canopy.
Incredibly the pilot was unharmed and able to land the £73million Eurofighter safely.
The seagull can be seen to the right of the £73million Eurofighter as it flies above an airbase in SpainSWNS
The exact moment of impact is caught by the photographer, as a huge cloud of debris erupts from the fighter’s cockpit canopySWNS
SWNSDespite the huge hole in the canopy, the hero pilot managed to safely land the Eurofighter jet[/caption]
A photographer captured the split-second strike over the San Javier Air Base in Murcia, Spain, on June 15.
But snapper Javier Alonso de Medina Salguero said he realised what had happened only after checking his photos.
They show the gull swooping into the path of the jet, before the bird is hit and smashes a giant hole in the canopy.
A huge cloud of debris can then be seen exploding out from the pilot’s cockpit area
Javier added: “I was at the base in the San Javier area, at the site where they took us photographers.
“We were watching the Eurofighter display when we saw it leave without finishing.
“They reported over the radio it hit a seagull.
“I had the whole sequence.”
The gaping hole in the cockpit canopy is clear to see as the pilot attempts to land the fighterSWNS