Philippine Air Force Commissions Five More S-70i Black Hawks
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has officially accepted five new S-70i Black Hawk helicopters at Clark Air Base in Pampanga, marking the latest addition to its growing fleet.
The helicopters are part of a 32-unit procurement signed in 2022 with PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary in Poland, aimed at modernizing the country’s air capabilities. They will serve in multi-role missions, including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, troop transport, and cargo operations.
This delivery follows five units received in June 2024 and another five in December 2024. Each Black Hawk can carry a four-person crew—pilot, co-pilot, and two gunners or crew chiefs—plus 12 fully equipped troops.
The S-70i is capable of a 22,000-pound maximum take-off weight, cruising at 160 knots (296 km/h), with a service ceiling of 20,000 feet (6,097 meters).
The aircraft have already been deployed in joint training with the Philippine Navy and took part in Cope Thunder 25-2, a US-Philippines air exercise in July that also marked the first deployment of a US Air Force F-35 squadron to the Philippines.
