MANILA, Philippines- Sinabi ng Philippine Air Force (PAF) nitong Martes na nawala ang FA-50 fighter jet nito sa kasagsagan ng isang tactical night operation upang suportahan ang ground troops.
Sa press briefing, sinabi ni PAF spokesperson Colonel Maria Consuelo Castillo na nawala ang aircraft nitong Martes ng madaling araw matapos maputulan ng komunikasyon sa ibang flight.
“Shortly after midnight on March 4, 2025, an FA-50 fighter jet, went missing during a Tactical Night Operations. The aircraft lost communication with the rest of the flight involved in the mission minutes before reaching the target area,” wika niya.
Ayon kay Castillo, ilang ulit na sinubukan ng iba pang aircraft na ibalik ang contact sa nawawalang aircraft hanggang makabalik ang mga ito sa Mactan, Cebu.
Inihayag ng opisyal na may dalawang piloto kada aircraft sa operasyon.
Dagdag niya, nakasuot ang mga piloto ng personal locator beacons.
Batay sa PAF official, ang pagkawala ng FA-50 fighter jet ang unang major incident sangkot ang kanilang mga fighter aircraft.
“The PAF is conducting extensive and thorough search operations, utilizing all available resources, to locate the missing jet fighter aircraft. Our primary concern is the safe return of our aircrew,” giit niya.
“We are hopeful of locating them and the aircraft soon, and ask you to join us in prayer during this critical time,” dagdag ng opisyal.
“We are hopeful that we will still be able to recover. We are more concerned about the safety of the aircrew right now. And we are still very optimistic that they are safe,” pahayag ni Castillo. RNT/SA
