The moment a bird punctured a fighter jet's wing

Cockpit footage from a NATO fighter jet shows the moment a pilot was almost forced to eject after a bird punctured his right wing.

Pilot Abel Zbynek, of the Czech Air Force 212^th squadron explains how he landed the aircraft after the impact during NATO's Trident Juncture exercise.

"First I start thinking about if I eject immediately or if I solve the problem," Zbynek said.

You can see and hear the bird fly into the aircraft's path and strike the right wing in cockpit footage before he kicks into survival mode.

"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, I have a birdstrike," he can be heard saying over the radio.

"I have very serious damage right of my wing, so I need to land as soon as possible".

Zbynek was experiencing vibration from the right wing tank and by reducing his air-speed, he managed to resist the urge to eject and clear himself for a safe landing.

Standing next to the damaged wing he jokes "I just hope that I will not have to pay for it, from my salary".

The video posted on NATO's Facebook page has since been viewed 460,000 times.