24 June 2020 pix: serious birdhit RAF A400M Atlas in Spain..

[Stratofreighter]

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/zm409
/
https://www.radarbox.com/data/registration/ZM409

...and more (bloodier...) pictures thru
https://defpost.com/royal-air-force-a40 ... rd-strike/

[witje]

A month ago also an A400 from Spain had some serious damage after a bird hit.

[Stratofreighter]

A month ago also an A400 from Spain had some serious damage after a bird hit.

...correct.
viewtopic.php?f=48&t=151144

[frank kramer]

The sky over Spain has some big birds flying around... that is some serious damage. But having seen vultures over there, it is not difficult to imagine the effect of one of those hitting an aircraft. And probably, the birds were getting used to a less crowded sky in these times...

[Bennie]

The sky over Spain has some big birds flying around... that is some serious damage. But having seen vultures over there, it is not difficult to imagine the effect of one of those hitting an aircraft. And probably, the birds were getting used to a less crowded sky in these times...

Besides that, some vultures have a rather high maximum operating altitude (i.e. above FL300!).

[joseluiscel]

For what I know it happened far on outbound test flight from Getafe, near Seville at 20K feet, the aircraft inmediately descended and returned to Getafe at about 5K feet where declared emergency due to difficulty to say real airspeed indication, after a low approach and with tower help performed safe landing. Big vultures are trying to regain their space in empty airspaces, that is the real world.

[Alpha Kilo One]

Regarding the serious damage to the plane...... What would have happened if the material used was "old-fashioned" metal? Same?

[Hans Rolink]

Regarding the serious damage to the plane...... What would have happened if the material used was "old-fashioned" metal? Same?

Seems to me this IS metal. Composite does not allow itself to be warped, dented and bent this way. I should know…

Hans.