Air Force gets 5 more ‘Black Hawk’ choppers
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Thursday announced that Polish aircraft manufacturer, PZL Mielec, is expected to deliver five more S-70i “Black Hawk” helicopter units on Nov. 6.
PAF spokesperson Col. Consuelo Castillo said the helicopters are already at Clark Air Base, undergoing technical inspection prior to acceptance and commissioning by the PAF.
The contract, worth approximately $620 million, includes 32 S-70i Black Hawks, with deliveries scheduled in batches: five units in 2023, ten in 2024, ten in 2025 and seven in 2026. The first ten helicopters were delivered in two batches during 2024.
The latest acquisition will bring the total to 47, making it the largest fleet of these helicopters globally.
The aircraft are used for a range of missions, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), search and rescue, troop transport and internal security operations.
Another 15 S-70i helicopters are expected to be delivered by 2025, while the remaining seven units are expected to be handed over by 2026.
“Our ‘Black Hawks’ are very important because [we] used them for a range of missions, we used them for internal security operations, we used them for medical search and rescue, we used them for HADR. They are heavily used especially [because] we have had a lot of typhoons the past months,” Castillo said.
She also said the S-70i helicopters are much faster, durable and could carry a heavier load than other helicopters in PAF service.
Kanlaon damage assessment
As this developed, Castillo said the PAF deployed two S-70i helicopters on Thursday to conduct an aerial survey over Negros Occidental province and gather critical data on potential hazards following Mt. Kanlaon’s eruption.
Aboard the helicopters were experts from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, officials from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental and the Office of Civil Defense Regions 6 and 7.
“The interagency team utilized the aerial platforms to gain a comprehensive overview of the situation and identify areas requiring immediate attention,” Castillo added.
