Two Philippine Air Force aircraft crashed Friday evening during a training flight at an airbase south of the capital Manila, killing four fighter pilots, local military officials said Saturday morning.
According to the military, the accident involved two SF-260 aircraft during a training flight at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas province. Local media reported that the two planes collided in midair and crashed within the base premises. No additional casualties were reported.
Philippines fighter jet collision
(Video: From X)
The Philippine Air Force has temporarily grounded its fleet of SF-260 aircraft pending an investigation into the cause of the crash. Air Force spokesperson Col. Alvin Jay Kepingyan said response teams were deployed to secure the site and assess the situation.
"Immediate response protocols were activated upon the occurrence of the incident," Kepingyan said. "Our utmost priority is the safety and well-being of the personnel involved, as well as those in the immediate vicinity of the incident site."
Philippines fighter jet collision
(Photo: From X)
The Philippines previously deployed SF-260 aircraft for months of airstrikes during the 2017 siege of Marawi in the southern region of the country, after Islamic State–aligned terrorists seized control of the area.
In May, two pilots were killed when an SF-260 trainer plane crashed in a mountainous region in the northern Philippines. Another SF-260 TP Marchetti aircraft crashed during a training flight in 2023, an accident that also claimed the lives of two pilots.