SHOTLIST

MABALACAT CITY, PHILIPPINES (AUGUST 13, 2025) (ANADOLU-ACCESS ALL)
1. VARIOUS OF NEW S-70I BLACK HAWK HELICOPTERS AND PEOPLE AT CLARK AIR BASE DURING CEREMONY

2. CLERGYMAN IN FRONT OF HELICOPTER SPEAKING DURING CEREMONY

3. VARIOUS OF CLERGYMAN PRAYING AND BLESSING HELICOPTER BY THROWING WATER ON IT

4. MILITARY OFFICIALS SPEAKING IN FRONT OF HELICOPTERS (2 SHOTS)

5. MILITARY OFFICIALS WALKING BY HELICOPTER

6. FEMALE SOLDIER STANDING NEXT TO HELICOPTER, POSING FOR PHOTO
MABALACAT CITY, PHILIPPINES - AUGUST 13: The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has received five new S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, enhancing its capabilities in air mobility, disaster response, and security operations.

The helicopters, manufactured by Poland-based PZL Mielec—a subsidiary of U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin—were officially handed over in a ceremony at Clark Air Base in Mabalacat City, Pampanga, on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

The newly delivered helicopters are part of a 32-unit S-70i Black Hawk acquisition under a P32-billion ($570 million) deal signed in February 2022. The purchase falls under the second phase of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) modernization program.

The first batch of five helicopters arrived in June 2024, followed by another five in December of the same year. Fifteen more units are expected this year, with the final seven scheduled for delivery in 2026.

With this latest batch, the PAF now operates 30 Black Hawks. The air force previously acquired 16 units between 2019 and 2021, though one was lost in a crash in Tarlac in June 2021.
The Black Hawks are set to gradually replace the PAF’s aging UH-1 Huey fleet.