The Dutch air force says two of its F-16 jet fighters tried to help police chase a criminal suspect.
Spokesman Olav Spanjer says the jets were about to leave Volkel airbase on a training mission on Thursday evening when they heard local police had requested a military jeep to chase a suspect over soggy terrain.
The pilots volunteered to help search using their infrared cameras.
Spanjer conceded on Friday, "It was kind of a long-shot."
The suspect was in a car with stolen license plates that sped away when police tried to pull it over. After an exchange of gunfire, the car crashed into a canal and the man ran away across a field.
In the end, a tip from a suspicious neighbour, and not a high-tech jet, led police to the suspect.