MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Mt. Kalatungan in Bukidnon is the probable location of the missing FA-50 fighter jet, an East Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) official said on Tuesday.
Eastmincom commander Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante said search and rescue teams were dispatched there to look for the aircraft and its two pilots.
鈥淚t might be the probable site,鈥� Bergante said of Mt. Kalatungan in a phone call with reporters.
READ: Philippine Air Force fighter jet with two pilots goes missing
The FA-50 fighter jet went missing during a tactical night operation early Tuesday morning en route to Mactan airbase in Cebu, according to Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo.
Maj. Francisco Garello, army鈥檚 4th infantry division鈥檚 spokesperson, said there was an encounter in Barangay Iba in Cabanglasan town also in Bukidnon province.
鈥淥ur forces requested close air support from our air assets to preserve our forces and to avoid casualties,鈥� Garello said in a phone interview.
Garello, however, did not confirm if the FA-50 was among their requested air support.
Castillo said the pilots are not yet found.
鈥淏ut the ground rescuers are tracking their location based on signals emitted by their personal locator beacons,鈥� Castillo said in a text message.
PAF currently has 11 remaining FA-50s in its arsenal after retiring its remaining fighters in 2005.