Multiple Killed After Surveillance Flight Contracted By U.S. Military Crashes

A U.S. service member and several defense contractors were killed when a flight that was contracted by the Department of Defense crashed on Thursday in Asia.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said that the crash happened in the Philippine Province of Maguindanao del Sur.

“The aircraft was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” INDOPACOM said in a statement. “The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.”

“We can confirm no survivors of the crash,” the statement added. “There were four personnel on board, including one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors. The names of the crew are being withheld pending next of kin notification.”

The military said that an investigation has already been launched into the cause of the accident and that updates will be released as they become available.

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— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@INDOPACOM) February 6, 2025

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said that the plane that crashed was a smaller aircraft.

Officials in the area were notified of the crash after receiving reports that residents saw “smoke coming from the plane and heard an explosion before the aircraft plummeted to the ground less than a kilometer (about half a mile) from a cluster of farmhouses,” the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. military has been deployed in the Philippines for decades to help the Philippine military combat Islamic terrorists who are members of ISIS.