The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has officially accepted five additional S-70i Black Hawk helicopters along with eight M134-H Gatling heavy machine guns to equip the newly delivered aircraft.
The turnover and blessing ceremony was held at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, marking the fifth delivery batch under the 32-unit procurement contract signed in 2022 with PZL Mielec, Lockheed Martin’s Polish subsidiary.
With the latest acceptance, the PAF has now received 25 of the 32 Black Hawks on order. Previous batches of five helicopters were delivered in June and December 2024, as well as in August and November 2025, while the fifth batch was delivered in December 2025 and formally accepted in January 2026.
The remaining aircraft are scheduled for delivery in the coming months.
Upon completion of the full order, the 32 newly acquired Black Hawks will complement the Philippines’ existing fleet of 15 S-70i helicopters, bringing the PAF’s total inventory to 47 aircraft.
The S-70i Black Hawk is a multi-mission helicopter capable of performing troop and cargo transport, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and armed utility roles.
Each aircraft operates with a four-person crew—pilot, co-pilot, and two gunners or crew chiefs—and can transport up to 12 fully equipped troops.
The helicopter features a 12.58-foot (3.84-meter) cabin length, a maximum gross takeoff weight of 22,000 pounds (9,979 kilograms), a cruising speed of up to 160 knots (296 km/h), and a service ceiling of 20,000 feet (6,097 meters).
The expanding Black Hawk fleet significantly enhances the PAF’s air mobility, rapid response, and disaster relief capabilities across the Philippine archipelago. Sustainment and local maintenance support are provided through Lockheed Martin’s Manila office in partnership with Asian Aerospace.
