Launch of Chinese anti-ballistic missile photographed during Hong Kong-Baku flight - PHOTOS

The breath-taking moment that an anti-ballistic missile was launched into the night sky has been caught on camera by a stunned pilot, who described it as a 'once in a lifetime event'.

Dutch Pilot Christiaan van Heijst, 34, cannot resist pulling his camera out whenever possible in the cockpit of a Boeing 747-8 Freighter, Daily Mail reports.

He took these breath-taking photos during a flight from Hong Kong to Baku in Azerbaijan on Sunday on an airway heading over the Himalayas.

The plane was flying at 32,100ft roughly one hour after the sun had set below the horizon when an alarming bright blast erupted.

Christiaan said: 'Suddenly we noticed a very bright spot on the horizon that rapidly grew in size and altitude. It looked like a balloon or strange cloud at first, but a few seconds later I recognised it as the contrail of a rocket or missile that was shot up in the sky. I have seen it many times before on video and photos, and noticed the typical speed and characteristics of such a trail. Later I found out that it was a Chinese test for an anti-ballistic missile system they are creating which are basically missiles to shoot other missiles out of the sky. The rocket basically flew right over us at very high altitude. For as far as we know, we were one of the very few - if not only - aircraft to fly there at that time. It was a once in a lifetime event.'

News.Az

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