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The Philippine Air Force is considering 16 more Sikorsky S70-i Blackhawk helicopters when it formally received the first six units acquired from Poland, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday.
In a speech during the formal helicopter exchange at Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Lorenzana said the Philippines got a “better deal” on Polish-made Blackhawk helicopters compared to the Canadian-made Bell 412 combat utility helicopters it canceled. Canada’s concerns that it would be used against human rights.
For Lorenzana, Blackhawk helicopters were more powerful, had more payload and greater range. He added that the cancellation of the Bell 412 helicopter deal was a “blessing in disguise” but admitted he was unhappy with its termination as it meant getting back to square one.
The government acquired a total of 16 Blackhawk helicopters through a government-to-government transaction between Manila and Warsaw.
“Today, I feel the exact opposite,” he said. “I am so happy and proud to have with our possession six of the 16 units of [the] The S70-i Blackhawk helicopters we ordered from PZL (Polski Zaklady Lotnicze Sp.zoo,) Poland. “
The first batch of Blackhawk helicopters consisted of five units delivered on November 10, while the sixth was loaded onto a ship. Another ten are expected to arrive during the first quarter of 2021.
The helicopters were manufactured under license from Sikorsky USA, with a contract price of $ 241 million. Lorenzana signed the contract in March 2019.
Lorenzana said Air Force Chief Allen Paredes has “hinted” to him that the Philippine Air Force wants another 16 units of Blackhawk helicopters.
“The chances of that happening are really great, so we’ll see,” said the defense secretary.
In an interview with journalists after the rotation, Lorenzana said that the government has enough funds left to buy helicopters, even from another company or country.
But Lorenzana said Paredes preferred the Blackhawk units, citing their convenience for pilots studying how to operate and maintain the helicopters and the supply of spare parts.
He added that it would be easier for the Philippine Air Force to maintain a fleet with the same unit rather than having mixed helicopter units.
The new Air Force combat utility helicopters would 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 air support.
“Equipped with the Blackhawk, our Air Force can now provide rapid and sustained tactical lift day and night, as well as combat and non-combat search and rescue operations,” Lorenzana said.
“Therefore, it is appropriate to celebrate this occasion, this sweet success,” he added.
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