Fallen drone … A
US-made unmanned aerial vehicle, identified as a BQM-74E target drone, was
recovered in waters off San Jacinto town on Ticao Island, Masbate, early on
Sunday morning. – Photo by MASBATE PROVINCIAL POLICE OFFICE
MANILA: The
United States-made drone recovered off Ticao Island in Masbate on Sunday
morning was launched during a week-long US-only exercise in September, the US
Embassy in Manila said on Tuesday.
“The unarmed
target drone that washed ashore off the coast of Masbate Island is an expended
BQM-74E Aerial Target drone that was launched from the USS Chafee (DDG 90)
during exercise Valiant Shield 2012 on Sept 19, 2012 off the coast of
Guam,” spokeswoman Tina Malone said in a statement.
The Valiant
Shield 2012, held every two years since 2006 which focuses on the cooperation
between US military branches, took place in Guam last September.
“It appears that
ocean currents brought the drone to where it washed ashore last week off
Masbate Island,” it added.
The military has
already dispatched an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team for investigation.
“We sent an EOD
team for initial investigations on the navy drone.
“The EOD team
found that the drone already has some barnacles and assessed to be safe for
transport,” military spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr said. - Inquirer
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