US Drone Found Floating In Philippine Waters

Mystery as American drone is found floating off the coast of the Philippines... 1,000 miles away from the nearest U.S. base

U.S. official insists vehicle did not carry weapons or surveillance cameras

A U.S. naval drone has been found floating off the coast of the Philippines - hundreds of miles away from the nearest American military base.
The fishermen who found the 10ft orange device originally reported that it could have been a bomb, prompting local officials to send munitions experts out into the sea.
But when it was determined to be safe, the unmanned aerial vehicle was taken into the care of the Filipino navy.

The BQM-74E drone, marked 'Navy', was found by a diver and fishermen on Sunday off the coast of Masbate Island, towards the centre of the island chain.

 

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Manila said officials were trying to work out whether the one which was found near Masbate had in fact been used by the Navy.
She added that the drone was not armed and had not been used for surveillance.
While the Philippines used to host multiple U.S. military bases, the American naval facility in the country was shut down more than two decades ago.
The nearest U.S. Navy base to Masbate is the facility in the Japanese province of Okinawa, around 1,000 miles away.