MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday said he had issued the notice of award for 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, which were expected to arrive in batches in 2023.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Lorenzana said the devastation caused by Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) in the Visayas, Mindanao and parts of Luzon highlighted the lack of military aircraft to transport much needed relief aid for communities ravaged by the typhoon.
“Upon the instruction of the President, we are procuring additional 32 brand new S-70i Black Hawk helicopters. A notice of award was issued to PZL Mielec of Poland on Dec. 28, 2021, for the project that comes with an initial logistics support package and training for pilots and maintenance crew amounting to P32 billion,” Lorenzana said.