The six aircraft will be followed by 10 more in late 2021, when the Air Force will have acquired a fleet of Combat Utility Helicopters that can be quickly configured for a range of military and humanitarian missions.
The official delivery ceremony presided over by Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana and attended by Lt. Gen. Allen T. Paredes, Commanding General, Philippine Air Forces and Jarosław Szczepankiewicz, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Manila and numerous representatives of the Philippine Army, took place in Manila on 10 December 2020.
“We expect these aircraft to serve you well in the coming decades and provide safety and security to all those who fly. I am looking forward to 2021 when PZL and Sikorsky will deliver the next 10 contracted helicopters” – said Janusz Zakręcki, PZL Mielec President, General Director.
The Philippine Government awarded PZL Mielec the contract for 16 S-70i Black Hawk helicopter in April 2019 as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Act.
The Philippine contract for 16 Combat Utility Helicopters is one of the largest Black Hawk orders for PZL Mielec, which has manufactured almost 70 S-70i aircraft since deliveries began in 2011. The Philippines is the ninth country to acquire Polish-built Black Hawk helicopters.
