Elisa Menendez
A SPANISH fighter jet has come close to triggering a dangerous international incident after accidentally firing a missile above Estonia.
The Spanish Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon warplane was in a practice area when the incident occurred at 3.44pm local time while flying over the town of Otepaa.
An AMRAAM-type air-to-air missile was launched by mistake while flying back to its base in Siauliai in Lithuania.
The missile was around 12.1 feet long and carried life-threatening explosives weighing up to 10 kilograms.
Prime Minister of Estonia, Juri Ratas called the incident ‘extremely regrettable’ but added that thankfully no one was injured and no aircrafts were struck.
It is believed the missile has a built-in self-destruct device in the event of an accidental attack but it is believed this could have landed somewhere.
Estonia’s military revealed it has launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident and is searching for the remains of the missile.
Four Spanish fighter jets have been stationed in Lithuania since NATO ordered the Baltic Air Police to help Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with their defence in 2004.
