A Spanish military fighter plane has crashed on the outskirts of Madrid, killing its pilot, the Spanish Defence Ministry said.

A spokesman said the F-18 crashed at the Torrejon de Ardoz base during take-off.

No one else was in the jet at the time.

The defence ministry named the pilot as Lieutenant Fernando Perez Serrano, 26, from Murcia.

Images in Spanish media showed plumes of smoke rising from the base's runway.

"As a result of the accident, which happened during takeoff manoeuvre, the plane's pilot has died," the ministry said on Twitter.

It said it had no details of the cause of the accident.