TSAMTO, September 14. The Philippine Air Force Command has completed the repair of six previously unused helicopters, which allowed expanding the capabilities for transporting troops and cargo.
According to the Philippine agency PNA, the ceremony of returning to operation after the completion of the repair of one UH-1 "Super Hugh" helicopter, two UH-1 "Hugh-2" and three W-3A "Falcon" was held at Clark Air Base (Pampanga province).
The helicopters underwent a repair procedure to compensate for the lack of multi-purpose vehicles in the Air Force after the obsolete UH-1 family helicopters began to be decommissioned after the crash of one of them in Mindanao in January.
Currently, the Philippine Air Force is conducting an audit of the project for the acquisition of 16 S-70i "Black Hawk" multi-purpose helicopters as part of the CUH (Combat Utility Helicopter) helicopter purchase program to replace the UH-1 fleet. Delivery of the S-70i began in November 2020, but one of the six helicopters of the first batch adopted into service crashed at the end of June 2021. As a result of the disaster, six people were killed, and the supply of equipment was temporarily suspended.
Plans for the purchase of 15 more Black Hawks were approved by President Rodrigo Duterte in early February 2021.
