US drone found off Masbate

MANILA, Philippines - A US drone crashed off Masbate Bay on Sunday.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is now in the custody of Naval Forces Southern Luzon in Legazpi City.

Authorities do not know why the UAV plunged into the sea while flying over Masbate.

Two fishermen, Jolly LLacer and Ricky Cantoria, found the UAV drifting off the coast of Sitio Tacdungan, San Jacinto town at about 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.

They initially thought the foreign object was a bomb and hesitated to retrieve it.

However, upon closer observation, they decided to tow the spy plane to shore and immediately reported their find to the police.

Senior Superintendent Heriberto Olitoquit said: “In our technical evaluation, we found out that the floating object recovered by the fishermen near Ticao Island was a US-made drone.”

The AUV  has inscribed markings: “Aerial Target Drone, BQM-74E Chuckar III, Part No. 89500-517, Model No. BQM74E, Serial No. BQ 55048, Contract No. N)))19-05-C0040, Cage No. 77646 and Acceptance Date, April 14, 2008.”

Measuring 12 feet and 11 inches, the spy plane has a wingspan of five feet and nine inches, and is two feet and four inches tall.

US embassy message

In a text message, Tina Malone of the US embassy said: “The recovered vehicle appears to be of the sort that is used as an air defense target in training exercises. This type of vehicle is not armed and not used for surveillance. We are trying to confirm this interpretation and to determine how and when it may have landed in the area” – With Rainier Allan Ronda