Part Of Contract For 32 Sikorsky Black Hawks

Lockheed Martin announced the delivery of 10 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters in 2024 to the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) as part of a contract for 32 Sikorsky Black Hawks under the DND’s Additional Utility Helicopters Acquisition Project. The S-70 Black Hawk is the commercial version of the UH-60 military helicopter.

The contract signed in 2022 stipulates that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) will take delivery of 32 aircraft from Lockheed Martin subsidiary PZL Mielec, expanding its current fleet of 15 S-70i Black Hawks to 47 and making it the world’s largest operator of the S-70i aircraft.

Hamid Salim, Vice President of Army and Air Force Systems at Sikorsky said, “The growing Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter fleet in the Philippines is a testament to this reliable, multi-mission aircraft that is depended on for missions such as search and rescue, humanitarian aid and troop transport across the archipelago.

“When deliveries are completed, the Philippines will have the largest fleet of S-70i Black Hawks in the world, growing the global fleet of Hawks which supports interoperability and commonality and is a key deterrence and security advantage in the Indo-Pacific.”

The first five aircraft under this contract were delivered in June 2024 and another five were delivered in December 2024. The remaining helicopters will be delivered over the next two years.

FMI:  www.lockheedmartin.com/