The Philippine Air Force took delivery of its last batch of S-08i Black Hawk helicopters on Monday. The five aircraft were delivered to Clark Air Force Base aboard an Antonov An-70 Ruslan, as was the case with previous deliveries.
The first six were delivered in November last year, with another five arriving in the country. in June this year. In the same month, the complete fleet was grounded after one of the new Black Hawks went down. The accident left six dead.
Speaking to reporters, Colonel Maynard Mariano, an Air Force spokesman, said the helicopters will be inspected before being put into service.
“Every time [air assets are delivered] they have to go through processes, so they must go through acceptance, through verification of all systems (before we accept)”. Mariano did not give a timeline of how long the inspection will last, but said that it is a rigorous process.
“If these items do not the tolerance given in the checklist and test, then they will not be accepted by the Air Force. We will make the manufacturer come here or they will have to take the aircraft or equipment back for repair.”
The Philippine Government purchased a total of 16 S-70i helicopters manufactured in Poland by PZL Mielec. The contract signed in 2019 is valued at US$241 million. The Black Hawk was chosen after competing with the Bell 412EPI KAI KUH-1 Surion, Leonardo AW-139M and Airbus Helicopters AS565 Panther.
With PNA
