A Spanish air force Eurofighter jet has crashed at a military base near Seville, according to reports.

It is not immediately clear if the pilot - the only person onboard - managed to eject safely.

"A Eurofighter has crashed on landing on the runway of the Moron base" said a defence ministry spokeswoman.

The spokesman would not confirm if there were casualties.

Europa Press reported that the plane was taking part in a routine training exercise.

The Moron de la Frontera Air Base where the crash took place is used by the Spanish and US air forces.

The location of the airbase in Spain

The Eurofighter is built by defence group BAE Systems, European aerospace group Airbus and Italian defence contractor Finmeccanica.

This consortium faces fierce competition from fighter-jet makers such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Dassault Aviation.

Airbus said last month the consortium will stop making the Eurofighter in 2018 if it does not win new export contracts for the jet.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Malaysia are all in talks about buying the jet, the company added.