Philippines to buy 32 new Black Hawk helicopters

The Philippines will buy 32 new Black Hawk helicopters for more than $620 million, the defence secretary said Sunday, in the nation’s latest big-ticket purchase to upgrade its ageing military capability.

For the past decade, Manila has been trying to modernise its run-down military equipment featuring Vietnam War-era helicopters and World War II naval vessels used by the United States.

The first of the 32 S-70i Black Hawks from a Polish firm owned by US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin will begin to arrive next year, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Facebook.

The aircraft were needed for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, he said.