THE Philippine Air Force (PAF) formally received on Thursday, December 10, 2020, the first six Black Hawk combat utility helicopters under a P12.1-billion project.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana led the turnover of the six S-70i Black Hawk helicopters at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga. Ten more units will be delivered in 2021.
Five transported through a Russian Antonov heavy transport plane arrived in the country on November 9 while the sixth was loaded on a ship.
The military planes were acquired from the Polish company Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze Sp.z.o.o, through a government-to-government transaction.
These form part of the P12.1-billion PAF combat utility helicopter acquisition project.
Lorenzana said the helicopters will be used to transport cargo and personnel, medical and casualty evacuation, aerial reconnaissance, disaster relief operations, troop insertion and extrication, combat resupply, combat search and rescue and limited close air support.
"These aircraft would greatly help the Armed Forces' operational readiness. Equipped with the Black Hawk, our air force can now provide prompt and sustained day and night tactical lift as well as combat and non-combat search and rescue operations," he said.
The Black Hawks replaced the 16 Bell 412EP helicopters from the Canadian Commercial Corporation.
President Rodrigo Duterte cancelled the deal after the Canadian government ordered a review on the purpose of the acquisition. (SunStar Philippines)