The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has confirmed that it has identified a “general area” where it believes the missing FA50 fighter jet could be located.
The statement was made by PAF spokesperson Col. Bon Castillo in an interview with DZRH, one day after the loss of contact with the fighter jet during a tactical night operation.
“May general area na po tayo na tinitignan,” Castillo said.
Although the exact location was not disclosed, it was revealed that the personal locator beacons of the pilots were still functioning as of yesterday. Castillo added that ground rescuers are actively pursuing the location of the signal to aid in the search.
In a separate interview at Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippine Army confirmed that they had requested air support for an operation against suspected communist-terrorist groups in the Bukidnon area. However, according to Maj. Francisco Galliego Jr., spokesperson of the 4th Infantry Division, they were unsure of which air assets the Philippine Air Force had sent.
Previously, the PAF announced that one of its 12 FA50 fighter jets went missing while scheduled to conduct activities in support of an unnamed unified command. The other air assets of the Air Force have since returned to Mactan, Cebu Air Base.
The search for the missing fighter jet continues as authorities remain focused on locating its last known position.
