Philippine Air Force gets 5 new Black Hawks, decommissions 10 Hueys

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) accepted five new Black Hawks on Wednesday even as it decommissioned 10 UH-1D helicopters on Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana led the acceptance and blessing of five S-70i Black Hawks and decommissioned the 10 UH-1D helicopters at Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

Lorenzana said the additional assets were “crucial in keeping our communities and people safe from traditional security threats and disasters.”

“With five more Black Hawks, the PAF can now better provide prompt and sustained day and night tactical heli-lift and combat and non-combat search and rescue operations,”  Lorenzana said in a statement.

The new five helicopters were the last of the 16 helicopters acquired from Polish company Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze, according to the Department of National Defense (DND).

The DND said the 16 acquired helicopters had a contract price of $241,461,699.39.

It added that the project was procured through a government-to-government transaction with Poland.

PAF spokesperson Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano said the 10 decommissioned UH-1D helicopters had “served its purpose” as interim solutions for the challenges  on relief transportation.

“We're not gonna have a shortage. In fact, marami pa tayong in the pipeline na ating mga project to increase our helicopter lift capability so were looking into medium helicopter lift to heavy lift capability in the future,” Mariano said when asked if there will be a shortage of aircrafts.

Mariano said the decommissioned aircrafts would be put in storage for the meantime.

Asked if it will be sold in the future, Mariano said, “We do not know, we will not be selling it because that is part [of] mga assistance na naibigay po sa atin noon."

The PAF’s 10 UH-1D helicopters were acquired in 2013. -NB, GMA News