Philippine fighter jet, 2 pilots missing on mission against insurgents

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine fighter jet with two pilots on board has lost contact during a night combat assault in support of ground forces battling communist insurgents in a southern province, and an extensive search is underway, officials said Tuesday.

The FA-50 jet lost communication during the mission with other air force aircraft around midnight Monday before reaching a target area. The other aircraft were able to return safely to an air base in central Cebu province after carrying out assaults, the air force said without providing other details for security reasons.

A Philippine military official told The Associated Press that the incident happened in a southern province, where a counterinsurgency mission against New People's Army guerrillas was underway. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the sensitive situation publicly.

“We are hopeful of locating them and the aircraft soon and ask you to join us in prayer during this critical time,” Philippine Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said.

The pilots could eject from the supersonic jets in case they encounter any problem that could lead to a crash. Rescuers could locate them if their emergency locating transmitters emitted signals.

Castillo refused to say if rescuers have detected such signals but added that the military is “still very optimistic that they are safe.”

It was not immediately clear if the rest of the FA-50s would be grounded following the incident.

The Philippines acquired 12 FA-50s multipurpose fighter jets starting in 2015 from South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. The $331 million contract had been the biggest under a military modernization program that has been repeatedly stalled by a lack of funds. The Philippines plans to acquire another 12 fighter jets from South Korea.

The military estimates about 1,000 communist guerrillas remain after decades of battle setbacks, surrenders and factional fighting. Peace talks brokered by Norway collapsed under previous President Rodrigo Duterte after both sides accused the other of continuing deadly attacks despite the negotiations.

In 2023, the government and the communist rebels agreed to resume talks aimed at ending one of Asia’s longest insurgencies. But the talks still have not restarted under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Aside from anti0insurgency operations, the jets have been used in a range of activities, from major national ceremonies to patrolling the disputed South China Sea .

菲律宾马尼拉——官员周二表示，一架载有两名飞行员的菲律宾战斗机在南部省份执行夜间战斗突袭任务时失去联系，该任务旨在支援地面部队与共产党叛乱分子作战，目前正在进行大规模搜寻。

周一午夜前后，FA-50战机在执行任务期间，抵达目标区域前与空军其他飞机失去联系。空军方面表示，其他飞机在完成攻击后安全返回宿务省中部的一个空军基地，但出于安全考虑，未提供更多细节。

一名菲律宾军方官员告诉美联社，这起事件发生在南部一个省份，当时军方正在那里开展针对新人民军游击队的反叛乱行动。由于缺乏公开讨论这一敏感局势的授权，该官员要求匿名。

菲律宾空军发言人玛丽亚·康苏埃洛·卡斯蒂略上校表示：“我们希望尽快找到他们和飞机，并请大家在这个关键时刻与我们一起祈祷。”

如果遇到任何可能导致坠机的故障，飞行员可以从超音速喷气式飞机上弹射逃生。如果他们的紧急定位发射器发出信号，救援人员就能找到他们。

卡斯蒂略拒绝透露救援人员是否探测到此类信号，但他补充说，军方“仍然非常乐观地认为他们是安全的”。

事件发生后，其余的FA-50战机是否也会停飞，目前尚不清楚。

菲律宾自2015年起从韩国航空航天工业公司（KAI）采购了12架FA-50多用途战斗机。这份价值3.31亿美元的合同是菲律宾军事现代化计划中最大的一笔交易，但该计划因资金短缺而屡次停滞。菲律宾计划再从韩国采购12架战斗机。

军方估计，经过数十年的战斗挫败、投降和派系斗争，目前仍约有1000名共产党游击队员残存。由挪威斡旋的和平谈判在前总统罗德里戈·杜特尔特执政期间破裂，原因是双方都指责对方在谈判期间继续发动致命袭击。

2023年，政府和共产党叛军同意恢复旨在结束亚洲持续时间最长的叛乱之一的谈判。但在小费迪南德·马科斯总统的领导下，谈判至今仍未重启。

除了反叛乱行动外，这些战机还被用于各种活动，从重大国家仪式到在有争议的南海巡逻。