An F-16 fighter plane (registration Fa-99) belonging to the Belgian military crashed and burned near the Dutch border Thursday after colliding with birds, the country’s defence ministry said.

“The pilot is safe and well,” a ministry spokesman told AFP.

A local police spokesman added that “no-one was injured and there is no material damage” beyond the plane, which national news agency Belga said burst into flames after missing a military runway at Kleine Brogel, near eastern Peer, the pilot having ejected before impact.

F-16s would be worth scores of millions of dollars depending on age and specifications.

SOURCE AFP

Photo: F-16 Belgian AF (Fa-94)  M. van Leeuwen Z.A.P.P. archive