In a statement, the FAP indicated that this aircraft,
without communications and unidentified, was approaching national airspace, on
Tuesday afternoon, when it was detected by the air defense and air policing
system.
According to the FAP, a pair of F-16M fighters was then
activated, and, at the same time, due to the fact that the unidentified aircraft
was flying at a low speed and at low altitude, a P-3C CUP+ plane was also
deployed.
“Through the electronic systems that equip the P-3C CUP+
plane, it was possible to follow up and monitor the flight of the aircraft,
which allowed it to inform, in real-time, its location to the competent
authorities on the ground”.
The Air Force highlighted that the suspicious aircraft ended
up landing in a place near Ferreira do Alentejo, in the district of Beja.
Drugs drop
According to Jornal de Notícias, the aircraft dropped two
bales of hashish next to the A26 motorway, in the municipality of Ferreira do
Alentejo, where a group of traffickers were waiting in a vehicle to collect the
drugs.
“They were pursued by the GNR, but they abandoned the car and the drugs and fled on foot”, according to the newspaper.