A PAF Black Hawk helicopter. — INQUIRER.net file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Five more S-70i Black Hawk helicopter units for the Philippine Air Force (PAF) arrived in the country this week, according to spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo.
In a press conference on Thursday, Castillo said PAF had so far received 10 units from the PZL Mielec, the Polish subsidiary of American aerospace and arms company Lockheed Martin.
“This week we saw the arrival of another batch of five Black Hawk helicopters which is the second batch of the 32 Black Hawk helicopters we are acquiring under the Horizon 2 of the modernization program,” the PAF official disclosed.
READ: AFP to buy 32 Black Hawk helicopters
“So far out of the 32 we already received 10 and currently these five helicopters are undergoing technical inspection and acceptance activities,” she added.
The first batch of five of the 32 Black Hawk helicopters for the PAF was supposed to arrive in the country in 2023, 10 units this year, another 10 in 2025, and seven in 2026.
In 2022, the Department of National Defense said that the government would pay P32 billion to buy the new helicopters manufactured by PZL Mielec.
Helicopters are crucial in the Philippine archipelago, where transport is difficult, especially during calamities. They are used in search and rescue missions, close air support, medical evacuation, and disaster response.