Two Philippine trainer aircraft collided mid-air on Friday during a training exercise, killing four Philippine Air Force pilots.

The incident happened at 3.51pm local time on Friday during a training ⁠flight at ​the Fernando ⁠Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas province, the Philippine Air Force said ⁠in a statement.

The air force said the two jets were SF-260 trainer planes that came down within the perimeter of Fernando Air Base.

All four pilots on board were killed.

The air force did not disclose the identities of the four pilots or specify how many personnel were aboard each aircraft.

No other casualties were reported.

Two SF-260 trainer planes collide with one another during training on Friday (André Gerwing/CC BY-SA 4.0)

The PAF issued a press statement confirming the deaths, expressing condolences, and noting that response teams were activated immediately.

The PAF has temporarily grounded its fleet of SF-260 trainer planes ⁠pending an investigation into the cause of the accident.

“The Philippine…