AFP conducts airdrop supply ops to BRP Sierra Madre

Troops manning the BRP Sierra Madre (LST-57) in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea received fresh supplies through an airdrop operation as confirmed by a senior military official on Tuesday.

The source, who requested anonymity, said the airdrop mission for a two-week supply was conducted by a Philippine Navy Islander maritime patrol aircraft NV314 around 8:49 a.m. on Sunday.

Photos of the military’s supposed successful airdrop mission at the BRP Sierra Madre circulated on Sunday after being posted on X (formerly Twitter) by an unofficial account @ALT_wps.

The source also confirmed that the conduct of an airdrop operation was just another option as one of the vessels often used by the Armed Force of the Philippines during its rotational and resupply mission suffered “technical difficulty” during the weekend.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, in a media interview on Monday, confirmed that the Unaizah May 1, often used during RoRe missions, was damaged.

But, she did not elaborate further.

According to the source, the gradual damage of UM1 might have been due to the collision of the Philippine ship with China’s vessels in the past RoRe mission.

“Pwede nating i-attribute natin ‘yon yung sira dahil doon sa pagbangga ng China, pwede yun, kasi unti unting nasisira,” he said.

The government earlier confirmed the ramming incident between UM1 and a China Coast Guard vessel on 10 December last year during a resupply mission in the Ayungin shoal.