An F-16 of the Belgian Air Component (Air Force) crashed during a training mission Friday after a suspected birdstrike. The pilot ejected and was not injured, according to reports.
The incident occurred during takeoff near the Klein-Brogel air base near the town of Peer, the Belgian military said in a statement. No one on the ground was injured.
Officials will be investigating the crash, but all signs point to a collision with a flock of birds.
This is at least the 37th F-16 crash for Belgium since the nation began flying the fighter in the 1970s. The country has purchased 160 F-16s over the past 30+ years.