Spanish fighter jet accidentally fired a missile over Estonia
An investigation has been launched after a Spanish fighter jet accidentally fired a missile whilst on a training exercise in Estonia.
The Eurofighter Typhoon, normally based in Siauliai, Lithuania, was flying with another Spanish aircraft and two French Mirage 2000 jets when the incident occurred on August 7, near the city of Otepaa in south-east Estonia.
A statement from the Spanish Ministry of Defence confirmed that a missile had been accidentally fired by one of their Eurofighter jets but said: “The air-to-air missile has not hit any aircraft. The defence ministry has opened an investigation to clarify the exact cause of the incident”.
Although the air-to-air missile has a built-in self-destruct mode, it is not known if this functioned or if the munition hit the ground. As the Estonian Air Force continued to search for the missing weapon, the public were warned not to look for it themselves.
