Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787717663503HQnf8ydasAA0i6c.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is set to complete the delivery of all 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters acquired under its modernization program, with seven newly acquired units to be formally accepted and turned over on Wednesday, August 26. <em>Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>MANILA <strong>(UPDATED)</strong>  — The Philippine Air Force formally accepted and blessed seven newly delivered S-70i Black Hawk helicopters on Wednesday, completing the delivery of all 32 units under Horizon 2 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization program.</div><p>With the completion of the acquisition, the PAF now operates 47 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, making the Philippines the largest operator of the S-70i variant in the world.</p><p>The 32-unit Black Hawk fleet was contracted from Lockheed Martin’s Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec for P32 billion.</p><p>The first 10 S-70is were delivered in 2024, another 10 were turned over in 2025, and five more were delivered in January of this year.</p><p>PAF 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Gilberto Esteban Jr. said the expanded fleet will allow the PAF to position Black Hawk helicopters in different regions of the country, enabling faster response to emergencies and crises.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>DEPLOYMENT TO REGIONS</strong></div><p>Esteban told reporters on the sidelines of the turnover and acceptance ceremony at the Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City that the air force &quot;can already deploy an element to each region that we have so that they can respond immediately to any crisis.&quot;</p><p>Maj. Gen. Moises Micor, commander of the PAF Air Mobility Command, said the larger fleet will also allow the air force to conduct simultaneous missions in different operational areas.</p><p>“Given the fact that we are an archipelagic nation, we can conduct simultaneous missions related to relief operations if it so happens that there are calamities throughout our country,” Micor said.</p><p>The helicopters are expected to be distributed among different regions of the archipelago, particularly where Tactical Operations Commands are based.</p><p>Some of the new Black Hawks will be deployed to Palawan for air patrols.</p><p>“It will be doing patrol missions, but of course, because of its limitation in terms of endurance, it will only fly within the vicinity of Palawan,” PAF Chief of Air Staff Maj. Gen. Alvin Hate said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MULTI-MISSION CAPABILITY</strong></div><p>The S-70i can operate during both day and night, and in various weather conditions.</p><p>It can perform troop transport, search and rescue, aeromedical evacuation, fast-rope insertion and extraction, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions.</p><p>According to Esteban, one Black Hawk can carry around 16 fully armed troops, or about 20 personnel depending on cargo requirements.</p><p>“To put in perspective how heavy it can carry, basically a car and [an AUV] . It can carry both at the same time,” he said.</p><p>The aircraft has an endurance of about two and a half hours.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>NATIONAL DEFENSE AND CIVIL SUPPORT</strong></div><p>Micor stressed that the Black Hawk now serves as the service’s primary medium-lift airlift capability, supporting two main areas: national defense and civil support.</p><p>“The first responder air asset is the Black Hawk, performing rapid damage assessment and needs analysis, and also to support various emergency teams in assisting the affected constituents in the area,” he said.</p><p>The 47 S-70i Black Hawks complement other PAF helicopter platforms, including the air force&#x27;s remaining UH-1H Huey helicopters.</p><p>“These helicopters are actually the replacements for the aging fleet of UH-1H helicopters,” Hate added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VtXe7kR3NM8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FG9AFEtVay4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>PAF said the arrival of the seven helicopters completes the delivery of the 32-unit Black Hawk fleet contracted from Lockheed Martin’s Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec for P32 billion.</p>

PAF said the arrival of the seven helicopters completes the delivery of the 32-unit Black Hawk fleet contracted from Lockheed Martin’s Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec for P32 billion.

PH Air Force completes Black Hawk fleet acquisition with 7 new helicopters

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PH Air Force completes Black Hawk fleet acquisition with 7 new helicopters

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 26, 2026 12:16 PM PHT

|

Updated August 26, 2026 02:21 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippine Air Force

Black Hawk helicopters

Armed Forces of the Philippines

modernization

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