A Spanish Eurofighter from the 11th fighter squadron was performing at the Aire 25 airshow when it suffered a bird strike to the front of the canopy. The aircraft ended its display and then landed at San Javier airport.
Aviation photographer Javier Alonso de Medina Salguero captured the jaw-dropping moment a seagull smashed through the windshield of an $85 million fighter jet and shattered the jet’s canopy, leaving a hole in the pilot’s windshield.
A clear cost for a canopy replacement isn’t publicly available, but it certainly isn’t cheap, given it’s a major component made of sophisticated glass with embedded ejection charges. The cost to replace a Eurofighter canopy after a bird strike could potentially reach millions of dollars. The exact cost depends on the extent of the damage, the specific components affected, and the current market rate for parts and labor.
It’s not uncommon for bird collisions to result in the damage of million-dollar planes or loss of life, with more than 270,000 reports of wildlife strikes to aircraft recorded between 2016 and 2021, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The Aire25, hosted by the Spanish AF headlined by its aerial demonstration team, the Eagle Patrol, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. Kicking off with a parachute team dropping into the festival, the show features a mix of aircraft from firefighting seaplanes to Chinook helicopters and F-16 fighter jets.
In addition to Spain’s Eagle Patrol, the Frecce Tricolori demo team of Italy’s Air Force, and the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows were all a part of the show. The Air Festival was held at San Javier Airport in Spain on June 14-15. The Patrouille Suisse demo team from Switzerland and a Spanish AF helicopter demonstration team put on a demo as well.
The military lineup included a CH-47 Chinook, F-5 Tiger, Eurofighter, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier, Predator drone, and Tiger Attack helicopter. The Eagle Patrol’s CASA/Airbus C-101 jet was retired following Aire25, after nearly 50 years and thousands of training flights. Lieutenant Óscar Sanz of the aerobatic team commented in an Airbus story:
