MILF shoots down second spy plane in Mindanao

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence, announced Saturday, June 20, 2009 that its fighters shot down a portable spy plane during a fierce firefight with army soldiers in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao. It said the unmanned aerial vehicle resembled a mini-helicopter equipped with sensors and a camera. (Courtesy: Luwaran.com).

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 20, 2009) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels have shot down a portable spy plane during a fierce firefight with army soldiers in the southern Philippines.

The MILF said the unmanned aerial vehicle, which resembled a mini-chopper was shot down in the town of Guindulungan in Maguindanao province, had sensors and a camera.

“The downed spy vehicle - a mini-helicopter - was equipped with sensors and cameras. At the time of downing, the air vehicle was hovering low while the fighting was in progress, obviously sending back tactical data to the command headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division where a sophisticated communication or tracking facilities are in place,” the MILF said in a statement.

The MILF said the propellers of the plane had Chinese markings while its had markings that suggested it was made in Australia, a key ally of the Philippines in fighting local terrorism. Australia, which previously linked the MILF to the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, is the Philippines' second largest defense cooperation partner behind the United States.

The MILF said an unnamed Filipino army colonel was trying to buy back the spy plane for P400,000, but the offer was rejected by rebels, who destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicle.

It said a sniper shot down the spy plane June 9 on orders from an MILF leader Wahid Tundok.

“Commander Wahid Tundok ordered one his sharpshooters to zero in on the pestering air vehicle. And with one shot, it crashed down in a hillside. It was however retrieved later by his men with body and parts largely intact,” the MILF said.

Tundok was among those killed in a firefight late Thursday between rebels and troops in Guindulungan town, the army said.

It was unknown if the spy plane was owned by the 6th Infantry Division, but an army spokesman Colonel Jonathan Ponce said they have no spy planes. “We have no spy planes or UAV. We don’t need spy planes to track down the rebels because civilians, who are fed up with the MILF atrocities, are providing us intelligence,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

It was the second time that rebel forces shot down a spy plane. MILF forces also shot down and captured a US military spy drone flying inside their territory in Maguindanao’s Talayan town on October 31 last year. The drone was one of many spy planes used by US forces – assisting Filipino military - in surveillance operations in Mindanao.

Several US military drones also crashed in the southern Philippines since 2002. The US military has a fleet of various unmanned spy planes, from a palm-size remote-controlled aircraft, to bigger and sophisticated high-altitude; long-range remotely piloted vehicles designed for long-endurance photographic reconnaissance and electronic surveillance missions, and as attack air crafts.

The US military had also used a Philippine Air Force base in Mactan Island in Cebu province in central Philippines as station of its fleet of Orion spy planes. (Mindanao Examiner)

US Spy Plane Shot Down By Rebels In Southern Philippines

A photo released by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Friday, November 14, 2008 shows rebels with a US spy drone they shot down inside their territory in the southern Philippines.

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 14, 2008) – Philippine Muslim rebels shot down a US spy drone flying inside their territory in the restive region of Mindanao, where American forces are aiding local troops in fighting insurgencies.

Mohagher Iqbal, a senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said the drone was captured by rebel forces in the hinterlands of Talayan town in the province Muslim autonomous province of Maguindanao.

He said the spy plane was shot down on the night of October 31 and recovered by rebels the next day. The MILF announced the capture of the spy drone only on Saturday after rebels finished examining the aircraft.

He did not say whether the drone was armed or had a thermal and infrared video camera, but claimed the air craft has a wing span of eight feet. He said the rebels opened fire on the drone with automatic weapons.

“The spy plane is still in good condition and intact and we will not give it back to the US military. It is now the property of the MILF,” Iqbal told the Mindanao Examiner.

There were no immediate statement from either the Philippine or US military officials about the shooting down of the drone, but it exposed the involvement of American forces in local anti-insurgency operation, which is a violation of the Constitution.

A US military spy plane also crashed in North Cotabato province near Maguindanao on October 18 after hitting a row of coconut trees. The news of the crash was kept secret by Filipino and US authorities until the local media reported about it a week later.

The air craft, whose wing span was about 8 feet, crashed at night on a civilian neighborhood in Pikit town. Policemen quickly recovered the wreckage and returned the next morning to collect debris of the drone.

The drone is one of many spy planes used by US forces in surveillance operations in the southern Philippines. It is capable of performing a surveillance and destructive mission.

There are three basic types of drones: the preprogrammed, the smart, and the remotely piloted drone.

A preprogrammed drone responds to an on-board timer or scheduler and has no sensor contact with the ground. The drone follows a set routine of maneuvers, altitude changes, speed changes, and course changes that are programmed through an autopilot to the drone's control surfaces and engine throttle. The drone is usually recovered by a parachute at the end of the mission.

A smart drone carries various sensors and is equipped with an on-board computer. The ability of a smart drone to make decisions governing course and altitude changes is limited only by its computer and sensor capacity. A smart drone could take off on its own from a given airport, navigate a circuitous route, make decisions en route based on weather or enemy radar action, fly to a second airport, and make a safe landing.

The remotely piloted vehicle, probably the most common type of drone, is under the constant control of an operator or pilot through radio links. The pilot or pilots can be located on the ground, in other aircraft, or on ships.

Typical missions for remotely piloted vehicles include reconnaissance or surveillance of enemy activities, target acquisition, relay of friendly communications, and jamming of enemy communications.

Advanced remotely piloted vehicles are equipped with low-light-level television and infrared sensors that allow over-the-horizon reconnaissance imagery to be transmitted to ground commanders as it is being acquired.

It was not the first time that a US military unmanned aerial vehicle had crashed in the southern Philippines. In 2006, villagers in Sulu province held for ransom a crashed unmanned US drone used by the military in tracking down Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.

The remote-controlled spy plane crashed February 10 in the mountain enclave of Marang in Indanan town. Local television news showed footage of a villager holding the ill-fated UAV, whose wing span was about one meter long and has a slim body and a video camera mounted on its belly. The villagers demanded P100, 000 in exchange for the unmanned aircraft.

Another US unmanned spy plane also crashed in November 2007 during a practice flight in Mount Tumatangis in Sulu. It was unknown if the drone was found or not, but the crash was never reported to the press. In March 2002, a US spy drone called Predator also crashed into the sea off Zamboanga City. The UAV went down for a still unknown reason and was also recovered.

The US military has a fleet of various unmanned spy planes, from a palm-size remote-controlled aircraft, to bigger and sophisticated high-altitude; long-range remotely piloted vehicles designed for long-endurance photographic reconnaissance and electronic surveillance missions, and as attack air crafts.

The US military had used a Philippine Air Force base in Mactan Island in Cebu province in central Philippines as station of its fleet of Orion spy planes. (Mindanao Examiner)

US spy plane crashes in Southern Philippines

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 23, 2008) – A US military spy plane crashed in North Cotabato province in the southern Philippines where Filipino troops are battling Muslim rebels, reports said.

The unmanned aerial vehicle crashed Oct. 18 on a neighborhood in the town of Pikit after hitting a row of coconut trees. The news of the crash was kept secret by Filipino and US authorities until a local online news site Minda News filed a report about the ill-fated UAV.

It said the UAV, whose wing span was about 8 feet, crashed at night near the house of Eusebio Camancho. Policemen quickly recovered the wreckage of the spy plane and returned the next morning to collect debris of the ill-fated UAV.

“There was no explosion, just a loud thud,” Minda News quoted Camancho as saying.

The UAV is believed one of many spy planes used by US forces deployed in the southern Philippines. US troops are helping Filipino military defeat terrorism.

Camancho said the UAV was made of silvery metal and grey materials, whose parts included rubber tubing and wirings. Its body, he said, measures about 12 inches only.

Police and military declined to comment about the crashed UAV. US military and embassy officials also did not give any statement about the unmanned air craft.

It was not the first time that a US military UAV had crashed in the southern Philippines.

In 2006, villagers in Sulu province held for ransom a crashed unmanned US drone used by the military in tracking down Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.

The remote-controlled spy plane crashed February 10 in the mountain enclave of Marang in Indanan town. Local television news showed footage of a villager holding the ill-fated UAV, whose wing span was about one meter long and has a slim body and a video camera mounted on its belly.The villagers demanded P100, 000 in exchange for the unmanned aircraft.

Another US unmanned spy plane also crashed in November 2007 during a practice flight in Mount Tumatangis in Sulu. It was unknown if the drone was found or not, but the crash was never reported to the press.In March 2002, a US spy drone called predator also crashed into the sea off Zamboanga City. The UAV went down for a still unknown reason and was also recovered.

The US military has a fleet of various unmanned spy planes, from a palm-size remote-controlled aircraft, to bigger and sophisticated high-altitude; long-range remotely piloted vehicles designed for long-endurance photographic reconnaissance and electronic surveillance missions, and as attack aircrafts.

The US military had used a Philippine Air Force base in Mactan Island in Cebu province in central Philippines as station of its fleet of Orion spy planes. (Mindanao Examiner)