The Filipino Air Force fighter with two pilots on board was lost during the night attack. The plane was sent by the army to the province in the south of the country to support ground forces in the fight against insurgents. On Tuesday, a large search for the missing machine began, TASR writes, according to AP report.
The FA-50 fighter lost a connection with other aircraft around midnight before it reached the target area. Other machines have safely returned to the air base in the central province of CEBU, the aviation said without providing further details.
An unnamed representative of the Philippine Army for AP said the incident occurred in the South of the province, where the operation was held against the Communist partisans. “We hope that we will soon be able to locate (pilots) and plane, and we ask you to join our prayers at this critical time,” The Air Force spokesman said.
The Philippines won 12 multipurpose FA-50 fighters worth $ 331 million from the South Korean Kai in 2015. At that time it was the largest trade in the program of modernization of the army, which later faced a lack of funds. In addition to anti -surgery operations, fighters are used, for example, during major state celebrations or patrol in the South China Sea.
