Manila, March 6 -- The Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced that it will expedite the investigation regarding the crashed FA-50PH so that the order grounding the entire jet fighter fleet can be lifted and the aircraft returned to its external defense missions.

"We ensure (the public of an) expedited investigation (regarding the incident), the sooner we get the fleet out of grounded status, the better because (of their) mandate of ensuring our (external defense)," Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said in an interview Wednesday.

She said the FA-50PHs are an important asset of the military, hence the need to immediately return it to flying status.

"We really need our FA-50s to be there in case we need to face challenges ...