A Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft has delivered the first batch of additional S-70i Black Hawk multi-purpose helicopters to the Philippines.

The Embassy of Poland in the Philippines published the relevant photos.

On Monday, June 17, an Antonov Airlines aircraft delivered 5 Polish-made helicopters to Clark Air Base at once.

This is the first batch of 32 S-70i Black Hawk multipurpose helicopters, the order for which was announced in early 2022. They will join the Philippine Air Force’s fleet.

The aircraft are assembled in Poland at the Sikorsky PZL Mielec plant, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.

Then, they will be tested by the Philippine military, and only then will they be put into service.

The purchase of 32 S-70i Black Hawk multi-role helicopters worth a total of USD 624 million includes logistical support and a training package for pilots and maintenance personnel.

The Philippine Ministry of Defense initially predicted that the delivery of the first five aircraft would take place in 2023. The rest will be delivered in three batches: 10 units in 2024, 10 units in 2025, and 7 helicopters in 2026.

However, judging by the delivery of the first batch in June 2024, these deadlines have been shifted by a year for some reason.

This is the second major order from the Philippines for these aircraft. The first deal in 2019 covered the purchase of 16 S-70i Black Hawks for a total of $241 million. The first six helicopters arrived in the Philippines in November 2020.

In early November 2021, a Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft also delivered the last batch of helicopters from the first order.

The S-70i Black Hawk can be armed with machine guns and other weapons, but it will mainly be used to transport troops and cargo, provide humanitarian assistance, and support disaster relief operations.