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The Philippine Air Force (PAF) formally received on Thursday, December 10, 2020, the first six Black Hawk combat utility helicopters under a P12.1 billion project.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana led the rotation of the six S-70i Black Hawk helicopters at Clark Air Force Base in Pampanga. Ten more units will be delivered in 2021.
Five transported via a Russian Antonov heavy transport aircraft arrived in the country on November 9, while the sixth was loaded onto a ship.
The military aircraft were acquired from the Polish company Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze Sp.zoo, through a government-to-government transaction.
These are part of the P12.1 billion PAF combat utility helicopter acquisition project.
Lorenzana said the helicopters will be used to transport cargo and personnel, medical and casualty evacuation, aerial reconnaissance, disaster relief operations, troop insertion and extraction, combat resupply, combat search and rescue, and limited close air support. .
“These aircraft would greatly aid the operational readiness of the Armed Forces. Equipped with the Black Hawk, our air force can now provide rapid and sustained tactical survey day and night, as well as combat and non-combat search and rescue operations.” , said.
The Black Hawks replaced the 16 Bell 412EP helicopters of the Canadian Commercial Corporation.
President Rodrigo Duterte canceled the deal after the Canadian government ordered a review of the purpose of the acquisition. (SunStar Philippines)
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