Batangas:Manila Four pilots were killed when two Philippine Air Force training aircraft crashed during a training flight at Fernando Air Base in Batangas province, south of Manila.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the incident occurred on Friday and involved two SF-260 planes on a training mission, with reports from local media indicating that the aircraft collided mid-air.

The planes crashed within the air base perimeter, and no other injuries have been reported, as stated in the official statement.

Following the accident, the Philippine Air Force has temporarily grounded its fleet of SF-260 training aircraft pending an investigation into the cause of the crash.

This incident follows two previous accidents involving the same aircraft model. In May, two pilots were killed when an SF-260 training plane crashed in a mountainous area in northern Philippines. Another SF-260TP Marchetti training flight crash in 2023 also resulted in the death of two pilots.