Philippine Air Force inducts first six S-70i Black Hawk helicopters

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has officially inducted into service the first six of 16 Polish-made Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters ordered in 2019, the Department of National Defense (DND) in Manila announced on 10 December.

The six rotorcraft, all of which were delivered in November, entered service in an “acceptance, turnover, and blessing” ceremony held that same day at Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga Province, that was presided over by Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana.

Delivery of the remaining 10 platforms is expected to be completed within the first quarter of 2021.

On 10 December the PAF inducted into service the first six of 16 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters ordered in 2019 in a ceremony that was also attended by Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana (seen here). (Philippine DND)

Lorenzana was quoted by the state-owned Philippine News Agency (PNA) as saying that the newly acquired helicopters will provide the PAF with “prompt and sustained” day-and-night tactical lift, transport, and search-and-rescue capabilities, among other things.

“These brand-new combat utility helicopters (CUHs) will be used for missions such as transport of cargo and personnel, medical evacuation, casualty evacuation, aerial reconnaissance, disaster relief operations, troop insertion and extrication, combat resupply, combat search-and-rescue, and limited close air support,” he stated.

Manufactured by PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky company in Poland, the helicopters are being acquired under a USD241.5 million government-to-government contract to meet the PAF’s CUH requirement under the ‘Horizon 2’ phase of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program (RAFPMP).