The Philippine Air Force has formally taken delivery of five more S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, along with eight M134-H Gatling heavy machine guns to arm the aircraft, further expanding its rotary-wing fleet.
The turnover and blessing ceremony was conducted at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, representing the fifth batch under the 32-helicopter contract signed in 2022 with PZL Mielec, Lockheed Martin’s Polish manufacturing arm.
With the latest acceptance, the PAF has now received 25 of the 32 Black Hawks ordered. Deliveries have been carried out in multiple tranches, with five helicopters arriving in June and December 2024, August and November 2025, and the most recent batch delivered in December 2025 and accepted in January 2026. The remaining aircraft are expected to arrive in the coming months.
Once the full order is completed, the new helicopters will join the PAF’s existing fleet of 15 S-70i aircraft, bringing the total Black Hawk inventory to 47.
The S-70i Black Hawk is a versatile, multi-role platform capable of troop and cargo transport, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and armed utility missions. It can carry a four-member crew and up to 12 fully equipped troops, with a maximum takeoff weight of 22,000 pounds, a cruising speed of 160 knots, and a service ceiling of 20,000 feet.
The expanded Black Hawk fleet strengthens the PAF’s ability to conduct rapid response, air mobility, and disaster relief operations throughout the archipelago, supported by local maintenance and sustainment through Lockheed Martin’s Manila office and Asian Aerospace.
