The Philippines will buy 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters from Sikorsky Aircraft's Poland-based subsidiary PZL Mielec. This step was taken to increase the existing fleet by 12 and increase the ability to respond to natural disasters.
Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said a notification was issued on December 28 for the purchase of new helicopters under the project equipped with logistical support and training packages for pilots and maintenance crews. The project will cost up to USD624 million.
"Contracts are now well laid out with plans with initial deliveries of 5 units expected to be completed in 2023," Lorenzana said on Facebook.
Lorenzan also added "While the rest will be delivered in three batches, 10 units in 2024, 10 units in 2025, and 7 more units in 2026," Lorenzana said, as quoted by Reuters.
"The shortage of transport planes and helicopters has never been more severe during the pandemic and after Typhoon (Rai). This is exacerbated by our aging Huey, which has become uneconomical to maintain," Lorenzana said.
Over the past decade, Manila has sought to modernize its dilapidated military equipment, which features Vietnam War-era helicopters and World War II Navy ships used by the United States.
Last year, the government completed an order for 16 S-70i Black Hawks to replace the air force fleet of Bell UH-1H helicopters, commonly known as Hueys, after a fatal crash. Many of them were acquired as surplus from the US, Manila's longtime military ally.
The entire Black Hawk fleet was put to rest in June, after an S-70i helicopter crashed during a night training flight and killed at least 6 people on board. Investigations found it "accidentally entered a storm" and the pilot suffered "spatial disorientation or vertigo".
In addition to a long-standing insurgency by communist and Islamist fighters, the Philippines faces increasing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.
Meanwhile Rai, the 15th and deadliest typhoon last year to hit the Philippines killed more than 400 people and caused widespread damage in the central and southern regions of the country in December 2021. Handling the victims of this typhoon requires maximum air support.
