Poland Delivers 5 New S-70i Choppers to Philippines

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) took delivery of five additional S-70i Black Hawk combat utility helicopters from Poland on Monday.

The Polish-made choppers were delivered to the country aboard an Antonov transport. It landed at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga on June 7.

The first batch of aircraft was delivered in the country in late 2020. The total number of S-70i helicopters handed over to Manila now stands at 11.

The third and final batch of five choppers is scheduled to arrive in the country before year-end.

This multi-role helicopter is capable of lifting 15 people, including four crew members, to up to 13,000 feet with a cruising speed of 276kmph. It can reach speeds of 361kmph and has a range of 460km.

The Black Hawks are part of the 16-unit aircraft acquired by the PAF from Polish company Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze Sp.z.o.o which were manufactured by Sikorsky USA. The contract valued $241.46 million was inked in 2019.