The Philippine Air Force has announced that its Israeli-made Hermes 900 drone crashed on Saturday morning while performing a functional test flight in Cagayan de Oro province.
According to Philippine Air Force spokesperson Col. Maynard Mariano, the drone proceeded five nautical miles east of Lumbia airfield and ascended to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).
After a flight check was conducted and the unmanned system started to descend, it reportedly lost contact with the operators and crash-landed in a wooded area.
No one was hurt in the accident, and no property damage was reported.
However, the Philippine Air Force said it would conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
“All emergency procedures were performed, and field service representatives were called for troubleshooting,” Mariano said.
Drone Operations Suspended
The Philippine Air Force has suspended operations of its remaining eight Hermes 900 drones until the cause of the crash can be determined.
“We are narrowing down the cause of the loss of communication or loss of connectivity between the aircraft that is the unmanned aerial vehicle and the ground station,” he revealed.
Mariano explained that the drone is still recoverable despite suffering considerable damage.