Latest news with #EasternMindanaoCommand
Arab News
05-03-2025
- Arab News
Philippine fighter jet wreckage, bodies of crew found
MANILA: Philippine rescuers on Wednesday found the wreckage of a fighter jet and the bodies of two crewmen sent to combat communist rebels in a mountainous region of the country's south. The FA-50 fighter jet had gone missing a day earlier while on a mission to provide air support for troops fighting guerrillas in northern Mindanao. Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante, commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, said the two crewmen had been found inside the wreckage. 'The bodies were found inside the aircraft. There was an attempt to open a parachute and eject,' he said. 'The aircraft was a total wreck. The aircraft smashed through the trees in the mountain.' Lt. Col. Francisco Garello of the 4th Infantry Division said the wreckage of the missing jet was found on Mount Kalatungan. Located in Mindanao's Bukidnon province, the 2,880-meter Kalatungan is the fifth-tallest mountain in the Philippines. Bergante said bringing the servicemen's remains down the mountainside was now the top priority. In a statement, the air force said it had temporarily 'grounded its FA-50 fleet' and would 'ensure a thorough investigation into the accident,' the cause of which remains unknown. The crashed jet was one of a dozen FA-50s the Philippines purchased from South Korea in the past decade. Garello said early Wednesday that the search had been suspended overnight due to the danger of 'communist groups' believed to be operating in the area. On Tuesday, he said his division had called in air support during a firefight with the New People's Army, a long-running Maoist insurgency now believed to have fewer than 2,000 fighters. The jets flew out of Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base, which shares a runway with the airport in Cebu, the Philippines' second-largest city. Air force spokeswoman Col. Consuelo Castillo told reporters Tuesday it was the 'first major incident' involving its squadron of FA-50s, which have been used in exercises over the disputed South China Sea. The FA-50s have been flown in joint air patrols with treaty ally the United States over contested areas of the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines have been involved in increasingly tense confrontations. On Wednesday, Castillo said the air force hoped the investigation would be 'done thoroughly but swift enough for us not to sacrifice our operational readiness' given the fighters' key role in maritime patrols. She also said the air force has proposed purchasing 12 more FA-50s, a request under consideration at the Department of National Defense. There have been a number of deadly crashes involving Philippine military aircraft in recent years. Two navy pilots were killed last April when their Robinson R22 helicopter crashed near a market south of the capital Manila during a training flight. Two PAF pilots were killed in January 2023 when their Marchetti SF260 turboprop plane crashed into a rice field.
Gulf Today
05-03-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
Philippine fighter jet wreckage, bodies of crew found
Philippine rescuers found the wreckage of a missing FA-50 fighter jet and the bodies of its two crew members Wednesday in a mountainous region of the country's south. The jet had gone missing a day earlier while on a mission to provide air support for troops fighting communist rebels in northern Mindanao. Lieutenant General Luis Rex Bergante, commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, told AFP the two crewmen had been found inside the wreckage. "The bodies were found inside the aircraft. There was an attempt to open a parachute and eject," he said. "The aircraft was a total wreck. The aircraft smashed through the trees in the mountain." Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Garello of the 4th Infantry Division told AFP the wreckage of the missing fighter jet was found on Mount Kalatungan. Located in Mindanao's Bukidnon province, the 2,880-metre (9,450 feet) Kalatungan is the fifth-tallest mountain in the Philippines. Bergante said bringing the servicemen's remains down the mountainside was now the top priority. The cause of the crash was under investigation, he added. Dangerous terrain Garello said earlier Wednesday that the search had been suspended overnight due to the danger of "communist groups" believed to be operating in the area. He said Tuesday that his division had called in air support during a firefight with the New People's Army, a long-running Maoist insurgency now believed to have fewer than 2,000 fighters. The fighters flew out of Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base, which shares a runway with the airport in Cebu, the Philippines' second-largest city. Air force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo told reporters it was the "first major incident involving" its squadron of FA-50s, which have been used in exercises over the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines has a dozen FA-50 jet fighters that it purchased from South Korea in the past decade. The fighters have participated in joint air patrols with treaty ally the United States over contested areas of the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines have been involved in increasingly tense confrontations. Philippine outlet the Inquirer reported in January that the government was considering purchasing 12 more FA-50s. There have been a number of deadly crashes involving Philippine military aircraft in recent years. Two navy pilots were killed last April when their Robinson R22 helicopter crashed near a market south of the capital Manila during a training flight. Two PAF pilots were killed in January 2023 when their Marchetti SF260 turboprop plane crashed into a rice field. Agence France-Presse
The Independent
05-03-2025
- The Independent
Pilots confirmed dead as missing Philippine fighter jet found wrecked in mountains
Philippine rescuers have found the wreckage of a missing fighter jet and the bodies of its two pilots in a mountainous region of the country. The FA-50 fighter jet with two pilots on board lost contact after midnight on Tuesday during a night combat mission against communist insurgents in a southern province. While the jet failed to reach its target area, the other aircraft successfully carried out assaults and returned to an air base in central Cebu province, military officials said. The wreckage was found in the Kalatungan mountains of Bukidnon province on the island of Mindanao in southern Philippines on Wednesday, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt Gen Luis Rex Bergante. 'We're bringing down the bodies, and the aircraft is currently cordoned off for investigation. It will be studied,' Mr Bergante said, according to several media reports. In an interview with Manila -based radio station dzBB, the army confirmed that the bodies of the two pilots were found in the Kalatungan Mountains of Bukidnon province. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined. The disappearance of the aircraft coincided with airstrikes in the Pantaron mountain range in the region of Northern Mindanao, where government forces clashed with around 70 New People's Army rebels. Earlier, an extensive search had been launched to find the two pilots of the jet. 'The aircraft lost communication with the rest of the flight involved in the mission minutes before reaching the target area. The other aircraft repeatedly attempted to re-establish contact with the missing aircraft until its return to Mactan, Cebu,' Philippines Air Force spokesperson Colonel Maria Consuelo Castillo said in a statement on Tuesday. The Philippines has 12 FA-50 jets from South Korea and plans to acquire 12 more. The jets are used for various missions, including anti-insurgency operations and patrols in the South China Sea.
South China Morning Post
05-03-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
‘A total wreck': lost Philippine fighter jet found smashed into mountainside
Rescuers found the wreckage of a missing FA-50 fighter jet and the bodies of its two crew members on Wednesday in a mountainous region of the Philippines ' south. Advertisement The jet had gone missing a day earlier while on a mission to provide air support for troops fighting communist rebels in northern Mindanao. Lieutenant General Luis Rex Bergante, commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, said the two crewmen had been found inside the wreckage. 'The bodies were found inside the aircraft. There was an attempt to open a parachute and eject,' he said. 'The aircraft was a total wreck. The aircraft smashed through the trees in the mountain.' Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Garello of the 4th Infantry Division said the wreckage of the missing fighter jet was found on Mount Kalatungan.
