Isang FA-50 fighter jet ng Philippine Air Force (PAF) ang nawawala kasunod ng isinagawang tactical night operation bilang suporta sa ground troops.
Sa press briefing nitong Martes, sinabi ni PAF spokesperson Colonel Maria Consuelo Castillo, na nawala ang naturang fighter jet pagkaraan ng hatinggabi kanina nang hindi na ito makontak.
“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,” ayon kay Castillo.
Hanggang sa makabalik sa Mactan, Cebu, ilang beses umanong sinubukang makontak ng iba pang eroplano ang nawawalang fighter jet pero nabigo sila.
Ayon kay Castillo, mayroong dalawang piloto ang bawat eroplano sa naturang operasyon.
Sinabi pa ng opisyal na ang pagkawala ang FA-50 fighter jet ang unang major incident na kinasangkutan ng 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,” saad niya.
“We are hopeful of locating them and the aircraft soon, and ask you to join us in prayer during this critical time,” dagdag nito.
Umaasa ang PAF na ligtas ang dalawang piloto.
“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,” dagdag ni Castillo.— mula sa ulat ni Joviland Rita/FRJ, GMA Integrated News
