RAF A400 Birdstrike Spain
 

Not sure this will buff out.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ae7e4d4402.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f81838b1eb.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....937a1cf389.jpg

Ouch .... reminds me very much of one we had in the Falklands ... doing a reccy over "Bird Island" of all places ....... this was the "temporary" repair to return to UK, whereby it went to Cambridge for several weeks !!


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....d704e88572.jpg

To paraphrase a Nimrod SNCO in beam window post bird-strike on landing at Gib:-
"Crew Chief, Captain, damage report please"
Captain Crew Chief, I'm no vet, but I don't think it will fly again"
((c) R**^** F, Nimrod AEOp).

Strange angle of entry or was there a duct somewhere to catch the bird, must have been a big one.

Pitots etc?

Looks like it was wearing a crash helmet!

Had a quick search for a photo of the damaged area without damage and this photo appeared of damage to a Spanish example again by bird strike. They don't seem to do well against our feathered friends.

https://www.aviation24.be/military-a...goza-air-base/

It must have been static when it entered

No protrusions there, just static vents. Guess the impact just punctured the skin and then peeled it back....


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....75b91f4cc7.jpg

These "plastic" budgies don't like taking hits it seems...

So against hostiles you could be a sitting duck....

If it was a duck, to whom do they send the bill?

It was a deliberate attack, the aircraft was being Stork'd ....

They were only winged.....

Was a prop feathered?

Don’t the RAF have the organisation and skills to do permanent repairs to this sort of damage any more?

Isn't that one out in Spain at the moment. Manufacturer's test flight ? MoD's No Claims Bonus should be unaffected unless EADS try to claim it was like that when they dropped it off :oh:

Nothing "plastic" about that piece of skin, very much aluminium!

They do indeed still have the organisation and skills, 71 Inspection and Repair Sqn based at RAF Wittering are the specialists.

I complement the pilot for their extreme low-flying skills. Hitting a chicken was unfortunate.