Philippine Fighter Jet Carrying 2 Pilots Disappears During Insurgent Mission

A Philippine Air Force fighter jet carrying two pilots has gone missing during a late-night combat mission supporting ground forces battling insurgents in a southern province, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The FA-50 jet reportedly lost communication with command around midnight on Monday, just before reaching its target area. A search is underway to locate the missing aircraft and its crew.

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

The other aircraft involved in the operation managed to return safely to an airbase in central Cebu province. However, the air force refrained from sharing further operational details due to security concerns.

The incident occurred during an anti-insurgency mission targeting communist guerrillas in a southern Philippine province, according to a military official who spoke with the Associated Press. Whether other FA-50 jets in the fleet would be temporarily grounded following this event remains unknown.

The FA-50 fighter jets, acquired from South Korea's Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. starting in 2015 as part of an 18.9 billion peso ($331 million) deal, marked one of the largest military modernization efforts in Philippine history. Beyond anti-insurgency missions, the jets have been utilized in high-profile national ceremonies and for patrolling disputed areas of the South China Sea. This disappearance casts a shadow over what has been touted as a transformative investment in the country’s defense capabilities.

As the mission-turned-crisis unfolds, all eyes remain on the search efforts. The stakes are high, not just for the pilots and their families, but for the confidence in the country's multi-billion-dollar defense program.