First batch of new Black Hawk helicopters to arrive in 2023 —Lorenzana

The first batch of the new S-70i Black Hawk helicopters acquired by the Philippines for P62 billion will arrive in 2023, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Sunday, in the nation's latest big-ticket purchase to upgrade its ageing military capability.

Lorenzana, who announced last month that the country will purchase 32 new Black Hawks from US defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin's Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec, said that the aircraft were needed for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

"The lack of transport planes and helicopters have never been more acute during the pandemic and in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette," Lorenzana said.

"This was exacerbated by our ageing Hueys that have become uneconomical to maintain."

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

The government last year completed an order of 16 S-70i Black Hawks to replace the air force's fleet of Bell UH-1H helicopters, commonly known as the Huey, after fatal accidents.

Many of them were acquired as surplus from the United States, Manila's longtime military ally.

The entire Black Hawk fleet was grounded in June after an S-70i helicopter crashed during a night-time training flight, killing all six on board.

An investigation found it "inadvertently entered a thunderstorm" and the pilot suffered "spatial disorientation or vertigo."

As well as long-running insurgencies by communist and Islamist fighters, the Philippines faces growing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.

Lorenzana also announced Friday the Philippines would buy an anti-ship missile system from India for nearly $375 million that would boost its defense capability.

That came weeks after the country ordered two new warships from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries in a $556-million deal. — Agence France-Presse