The £73M Eurofighter Brought to Its Knees by a Bird in Mid-Air Collision

A brutal snapshot in midâ€'air
During the Aire 25 air show on June 15, 2025, at San Javier Air Base in Murcia, Spain, a dramatic and startling incident unfolded: a seagull, later identified as a lesser blackâ€'backed gull, smashed directly into the cockpit canopy of a Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon during a highâ€'speed aerobatic pass. In that split second, the bird’s body met the reinforced perspex windscreen, rupturing it in a single, violent impact. Aviation photographers captured the jarring moment in stunning detail—feathers and droplets of blood frozen midâ€'flight—as debris erupted outward.