PAF reports crash of Israel-built Hermes 900 drone
A Hermes 900 drone. (Photo from the Elbit Systems website)
MANILA, Philippines — A Hermes 900 drone of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) crashed Saturday morning during a functional check flight in Cagayan de Oro.
In a statement, the PAF said the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) “crash-landed in a vegetated area where it was confirmed to have lost contact.”
The UAV took off at around 9:30 am on a functional check flight at Lumbia Airport, Cagayan de Oro City, according to PAF.
“Upon takeoff, the UAV proceeded to [five nautical miles] east of Lumbia and ascended to 10,000 ft. After finding the procedure to be satisfactory, the pilots declared the termination of test and started to descend 5000 ft 1.5 miles east of Lumbia Airport,” the PAF said.
“At around 11:46 a.m, communications with the UAV was cut. All emergency procedures were performed and Field Service Representatives were called for troubleshooting.”
No civilian casualties and damage to properties were reported.
The PAF said it would conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
The Israeli-made Hermes 900, which can be used for ground support and maritime patrol missions, has a service ceiling of 30,000 feet and flight endurance of up to 36 hours.
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