A Philippine Air Force (PAF) FA-50 fighter jet crashed in Bukidnon province in the south of the country on Wednesday, killing two pilots.
The aircraft was on a counter-insurgency combat mission. Communication with it was lost shortly after midnight on March 4, prompting the search and rescue operation.
The plane’s wreckage and the pilots’ bodies were found on March 5 in the mountainous region of Calatungan on Mindanao island.
“The wreckage indicates that it was a crash,” Air Force spokesperson Consuelo Castillo said, adding that an investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
Following the incident, the Air Force command temporarily suspended flights of all 11 remaining South Korean-made FA-50 fighter jets.
The Philippines acquired 12 FA-50s from South Korea in 2014 as part of a military modernisation programme to improve internal security and enhance its ability to defend its maritime borders against China in the South China Sea.
