US drone washes up on PH beach, 2nd in January

From Rappler (Jan 23): US drone washes up on PH beach, 2nd in January

The drone found by fishermen in Cagayan province is similar to the one found in Quezon province earlier and which the US embassy confirmed is owned by the US Navy


ANOTHER DRONE: A target drone washes up off Cagayan province. Photo from the local PNP Facebook page

A second United States drone washed up on a beach in northern Philippines this week, the second such incident in January .

The drone found in Cagayan province is similar to the one found in Quezon province on January 4, which the US embassy confirmed is owned by the US Navy.

The police in Sta Ana town, Cagayan, identified it as BQM-74F aerial target drone with serial number BQ56026.

Local fishermen of Sta Ana found the 3.5-meter orange drone floating at sea on Wednesday morning, January 21. They tied it with a rope and one of them, Jackson Orteza, brought it home.

There are star markings on both side of its wings. Duct tape was also found on the nose of the drone, according to the police.

The police received a phone call about the drone and immediately went to Orteza's residence to take custody of the equipment.

The drone earlier found in Quezon was supposedly used during a military exercise conducted in September 2014 in waters off Guam and within international airspace.

"The unarmed aerial target that was found off the coast of Patnanungan Islet on January 4, is an expended BQM-74E Aerial Target that was launched during naval exercise Valiant Shield 2014 which took place September 15-23 in the waters off Guam," the US embassy said in a statement released then.

It also said at the time that the "aerial target does not carry weapons and is not used for surveillance" but is "used by surface ships and aircraft during exercises to help train our sailors in a realistic environment that provides the best possible training."

The Exercise Valiant Shield 2014 is a US-only biennial field training exercise that involved 18,000 US troops and 200 aircraft and 20 ships. It was focused on integration of joint training among US forces in areas of maritime security operations, anti-submarine, air defense and space, and cyber warfighting proficiencies.

The discovery of the US drones recall a similar incident two years ago, when a US drone with a similar serial number – BQM-74E Chukar III – was found in adjacent Masbate island. (READ: US drone crashes off Masbate – police)

In a previous interview, military spokesperson Colonel Restituto Padilla explained that target drones are simulated aircraft that US fighter jet pilots, for example, use as targets to shoot down during exercises.

The US Air Force and the US Navy have been using them as targets. Aircraft and ships imagine them as enemy targets and try to shoot them down with missiles or guns.

Unlike surveillance drones, target drones are expendable "fire and forget items" intended to be destroyed in the air.

The drone found in Quezon and Cagayan were obviously not hit. It likely ran out of fuel, crashed into the sea, and was later washed up on Quezon Island.

Padilla said tides in the Pacific Ocean are capable of bringing items like drones from Guam to the Philippines.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/81741-us-target-drone-found-cagayan