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| BRP Ramon Alcaraz (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Jaime Laude
MANILA, Philippines - An unidentified aircraft, possibly an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a drone, buzzed the Philippine Navy warship while the latter was conducting maritime and sovereignty patrol on Benham Rise Friday afternoon.
Navy officials, however, have yet to receive full details on the unexpected “encounter” between the unidentified AUV and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF16), a Navy warship sent by the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) to secure the country’s maritime domain on the Pacific Ocean side.
“I’ll check first with Nolcom because they have operational control of FF16,” Navy spokesman Capt. Lued Lincuna said in reference to ABS-CBN’s report that a possible drone suddenly appeared in the sky above the patrolling Alcaraz on Friday.
In a text message, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said that as of Saturday afternoon, the aircraft has remained unidentified.The buzzing of Alcaraz on Benham Rise has become viral in a defense blog maintained by defense and military observers.
Read the full story at PhilStar