Navy officials, however, have yet to receive full details on the unexpected “encounter” between the unidentified AUV and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF16), a Navy warship sent by the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) to secure the country’s maritime domain on the Pacific Ocean side. Namria graphic
An unidentified aircraft, possibly an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a drone, buzzed the Philippine Navy warship while the latter was conducting maritime and sovereignty patrol on Benham Rise Friday afternoon.
Navy officials, however, have yet to receive full details on the unexpected “encounter” between the unidentified AUV and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF16), a Navy warship sent by the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) to secure the country’s maritime domain on the Pacific Ocean side.
“I’ll check first with Nolcom because they have operational control of FF16,” Navy spokesman Capt. Lued Lincuna said in reference to ABS-CBN’s report that a possible drone suddenly appeared in the sky above the patrolling Alcaraz on Friday.
In a text message, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said that as of Saturday afternoon, the aircraft has remained unidentified.The buzzing of Alcaraz on Benham Rise has become viral in a defense blog maintained by defense and military observers.
Some questioned the defense capability of the warship for its failure to detect an approaching aircraft until crewmembers on board sighted it.As reported by ABS-CBN, the UAV was described by Alcaraz skipper Navy Commander Jeff Rene Nadugo as an “unidentified bogey” that hovered and flew sharply back and forth, staying in a spot in front of the patrolling navy ship for several minutes.
At one point, the drone flew 500 feet above the Alcaraz, highlighting the capabilities and limits of the Navy’s most capable combat ship.
One defense observer said that had Alcaraz been installed with APS-77 Sea Giraffe radar, it could have tracked the target’s movements and possibly determine its point of origin and destination.
Another defense blogger wondered why Alcaraz, in this digital age, is still not equipped with powerful cameras that could produce quality photos to identify unknown contacts.
Some suggested that the drone is owned by China, while others said it could have come from one of the US warships on patrol in the Pacific.
They said that if the drone is not China’s or the US’s, it could belong to the Taiwanese armed forces.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/03/26/1684645/unidentified-drone-buzzes-philippines-navy-ship-benham-rise
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