Philippines orders 32 more S-70i Black Hawks

The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) has placed an order for 32 additional Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk multipurpose helicopters with Polish Lockheed Martin subsidiary PZL Mielec, for use by the Philippine Air Force.

It comes just two months after PZL Mielec completed deliveries of 16 aircraft of the same type to the Philippine Air Force in December 2021 and is reportedly the largest single order of Black Hawk helicopters for PZL Mielec since S-70i aircraft production began in 2009.

Delivery of all 32 aircraft is expected to be completed by 2026, and will be used by the air force’s 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing to perform search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and troop transport operations across the archipelago.

All 32 aircraft will be provided in a utility configuration, and will be equipped with a fully integrated digital cockpit with four-axis coupled flight director, a colour weather radar, a integrated vehicle health monitoring system (IVHMS), cabin troop seats, and a 4,082kg cargo hook.

Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs also signed a four-year framework agreement with PZL Mielec for the procurement of up to 12 Black Hawk utility helicopters in November 2021.