PAF Decommisions newly acquired UH-1Ds

Activates S-70 Blackhawks to Fleet,  Accepts Scan Eagle UAVs

16 October 2021 

The Department of Defense (DND) has finally sealed operations of all its Huey helicopters in the country by decommissioning the final ten (10) UH-1D choppers, which model has been the workforce of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) for 50 years, on October 13, 2021 at the Haribon Hangar, Clark Air Base in Mabalacat City.

The ceremony witnessed the towing of the UH-1D aircraft that was made in Germany in 1981, and acquired by the government in 2014, to a water cannon salute between two (2) firetrucks as it bids farewell to the PAF fleet. 

The activity was then followed by the Acceptance, Turn-Over and Blessing of S-70i Black Hawk and Scan Eagle UAVs to the PAF inventory to act as its replacement.

PAF has received eleven of the sixteen brand new S-70i's it ordered in 2018. One frame was declared write-off after training accident in Tarlac this year, attributed to pilot errors.

The latest batch consisting of five (5) S-70i Black Hawk frames, arrived in June 07, 2021, and were formally Accepted and turned-over by the Polish Charge d' Affaires Jaroslaw Szczepankiewicz to the PAF after completion of inspection. The last batch of 5 helicopters is slated to arrive before the end of the year.

The new helicopters were procured under the AFP Modernization Plan Horizon II and is the 2nd of the 3 batches of delivery to the PAF from Polish aircraft manufacturer Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze Sp.z.o.o, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, for around P11.5 billion. 

The initial batch of six units were delivered from November 9 to Dec. 2, 2020 — one of which was involved in a plane crash last June 24, 2021 — while the second batch of five units arrived last June 7, 2021.

Another set of 16 new Black Hawk helicopter orders is being prepared by the DND to be awarded to Manufacturer to add to the PAF fleet as it continue to boost its heli-lift capability.

Meanwhile, four (4) Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicles worth around $4 million or P200 million, were also formally accepted and turned-over to the PAF by the US Charge d' Affaires, Heather Variava. 

These UAVs were grants from the United States government through foreign military sales (FMS). It is intended to enhance the reconnaissance operations of the AFP, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts.