Advanced naval weapons were to be tested during a live-fire exercise by the Philippine Navy (PN) off the coast of Zambales province on Monday. The BRP Miguel Malvar was set up as a mock target some 55.5 kilometers west of San Antonio town.

The PN’s BRP Antonio Luna was to fire an anti-ship C-Star missile to destroy the old vessel and demonstrate the Navy’s capability to defend the country’s maritime territory against invaders.

The Malvar, however, appeared to be more advanced as it sank even before it could be struck by the missile.

Navy spokesperson Captain John Percie Alcos said rough sea conditions caused the Miguel Malvar to take on a significant amount of water and sink.

The incident forced the PN to cancel the drill dubbed “Marstrike.”

Meanwhile, naval ships are not the only military assets prone to sinking.

United States forces were conducting airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen on 28 April from the USS Harry Truman when the aircraft carrier came under missile attack.

The Truman maneuvered to avoid getting hit but as it was making a hard turn, an F/A-18E fighter jet being moved around the deck by a tractor rolled off the ship and fell into the Red Sea, CNN reported.

The ship could lean 10 to 15 degrees at high-speed turns, according to CNN.

NBC News reported that the sailor operating the tractor lost control of it. The tractor along with the Super Hornet jet it was towing fell into the water but the sailor and the jet pilot were able to jump to safety.

US naval officials said the jet sank, costing the Navy $67 million in lost military hardware.