The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has formally accepted its final seven S-70i Black Hawk helicopters during a ceremony held at Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on August 26, 2026. PAF Commanding General Lieutenant General Arthur M. Cordura attended the event as the guest of honor for the official handover.
The delivery completes a 32-aircraft acquisition contract signed in 2022 with Lockheed Martin's Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec, valued at approximately PHP 32 billion (US$571 million). Deliveries under this second agreement arrived in multiple phases, starting with 10 units in 2024, followed by another 10 in 2025, five in January 2026, and the final seven on August 26, 2026.
With the arrival of the final seven aircraft, the PAF's total S-70i Black Hawk fleet has grown to 47 units, making the Philippines the largest operator of the S-70i variant globally. The PAF previously acquired 16 S-70i helicopters under a 2019 contract worth PHP 11.5 billion (US$205 million), of which 15 remain operational after one aircraft was lost in a 2021 crash in Capas, Tarlac.
The helicopter acquisition is part of Horizon 2 of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program under Republic Act No. 10349. The S-70i is a medium-lift utility helicopter capable of carrying approximately 16 fully armed troops or 20 personnel with an endurance of roughly two and a half hours per flight. The fleet is replacing older UH-1H Huey helicopters for troop transport, search and rescue, aeromedical evacuation, and disaster response operations across the archipelago.
