A day after a Philippine Air Force fighter jet with two pilots on board had gone missing, the Philippine rescuers found the wreckage of a missing fighter jet and the bodies of its two pilots in a mountainous region of a southern province, military officials said on Tuesday.
Philippines: Forces Discover Wreckage Of Missing FA-50 Fighter Jet, Bodies Of 2 Pilots
On Monday midnight, the FA-50 jet went incommunicado during the tactical mission alongside another Air Force aircraft before reaching a target area.
The fighter aircraft went missing during a night combat assault in support of ground forces who were battling communist rebels in a southern province.
Earlier, the Philippine military official told The Associated Press that the incident happened in a southern Philippine province. "We are hopeful of locating them and the aircraft soon and ask you to join us in prayer during this critical time,” Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said.
About The FA-50 Fighter Jet Going Missing
On Monday midnight, the FA-50 jet went incommunicado during the tactical mission alongside another Air Force aircraft before reaching a target area.
However, the other aircraft safely returned to an air base in central Cebu province, the air force said without providing other details for security reasons.
In view of the incident, it was not immediately clear if the rest of the FA-50s would be grounded following the incident.
Since 2015, the Philippines acquired 12 FA-50s multi-purpose fighter jets starting in 2015 from South Korea's Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. for 18.9 billion pesos ($331 million) in what was then the biggest deal under a military modernisation programme that has been repeatedly stalled by a lack of funds.
Aside from anti-insurgency operations, the jets have been used in a range of activities, from major national ceremonies to patrolling the disputed South China Sea.
(With AP inputs)
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