Philippines grows its S-70i fleet with 10 new deliveries
The S-70i is the international variant of Sikorsky’s UH-60 Black Hawk. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
The 10 helicopters delivered throughout 2024 make up part of a larger contract for 32 Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters for the country.
Lockheed Martin has announced that it made a total of 10 S-70i Black Hawk helicopter deliveries over 2024: five in June 2024 and five in December 2024.
The contract, signed in 2022, stated that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) would take delivery of 32 aircraft from Lockheed Martin’s subsidiary PZL Mielec. It would expand the PAF’s existing fleet of 15 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters to 47, boosting its operational capacity.
The remaining 22 aircraft will be delivered over the next two years, according to Lockheed Martin. As noted on Shephard Defence Insight, the deal for the PAF is estimated to be worth some PHP32 billion ($624 million).
Related Articles
Philippines awaits next T129 and S-70i helicopters
Lockheed Martin also boosted its presence in the region, when it appointed Asian Aerospace as the reseller of spare parts for the Black Hawk helicopter in the Philippines.
S-70i helicopters are in service with Brunei, Chile, Columbia, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Türkiye and it has also been ordered by the US. Almost 200 have been ordered and more than a quarter of those delivered.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
S-70i Second Batch [Philippines]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Avalon 2025: Australia reimagines Ghost Bat as a proving platform and targets future versions]()
Avalon 2025: Australia reimagines Ghost Bat as a proving platform and targets future versions
Now known as the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, the Loyal Wingman notably kept close to promised deadlines such as first flight in February 2021, in spite of originally being promised for 2020.
-
![Boeing beats out Lockheed to scoop NGAD $20 billion contract]()
Boeing beats out Lockheed to scoop NGAD $20 billion contract
Designated ‘F-47’, the sixth-generation fighter will serve as a replacement for Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor, currently in service with the USAF.
-
![India unveils rebranded armed Hermes 650 UAS for tactical operations]()
India unveils rebranded armed Hermes 650 UAS for tactical operations
India advances indigenous UAV integration with Akshi 7 and Drishti 10.
-
![France to buy more Rafale jets and invest €1.5 billion in upgrading air base]()
France to buy more Rafale jets and invest €1.5 billion in upgrading air base
The Luxeuil Saint-Sauveur air base will be modernised to ensure it can host nuclear weapons as France continues efforts to boost its nuclear deterrence.
-
![South Korea and Singapore partner with Shield AI to develop autonomous flight technologies]()
South Korea and Singapore partner with Shield AI to develop autonomous flight technologies
Both contracts will see Shield AI work with Korea Aerospace Industries and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) on autonomous flight operations for UAVs, leveraging the company’s Hivemind technology.
