The Paper's reporter Nan Boyi
On January 16, local time, the Philippine Defense Minister announced that the Philippines will purchase 32 new Black Hawk helicopters for more than $620 million.
Philippine Defense Secretary Lorenzana said the first orders between the Philippines and a Polish company owned by U.S. defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin, deliveries of 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters will begin next year, AFP reported on Jan. 16. He said the helicopters would be used for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
Lorenzana also said the COVID-19 pandemic and Typhoon Rey in 2021 highlighted the plight of a severe shortage of transport aircraft and helicopters in the country. "Our aging helicopters are no longer economically efficient, making the situation even worse," he said. ”
According to previous reports, the Philippine government has ordered 16 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters last year with the aim of replacing older helicopters that have frequented air crashes in the country.
The Philippines has recently made frequent arms purchases. On Jan. 14, Lorenzana also announced that the Philippines and India had reached an arms purchase agreement in which the Philippines would buy a shore-based anti-ship missile system from India for nearly $375 million to strengthen its naval defenses. A few weeks ago, the Philippines also ordered two new warships from South Korea Hyundai for $556 million. In order to improve the Air Force's early warning and surveillance capabilities, the Philippine Department of Defense also chose to purchase Japan's J/FPS-3 improved phased array radar in March 2020, with a total value of about $550 million.
Responsible editor: Wang Lunyu Photo editor: Jiang Lidong
![The Philippines buys 32 Black Hawks! But what is the reason behind the contract signed with Poland?[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)