CH-47F Chinook and Black Hawk helicopter (photo : Joint Base Charleston)
The Philippines was offered to purchase 13 to 14 new Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters by the US to replace an earlier deal for 16 Mil Mi-17 Hip helicopters from Russia that was cancelled back in June 2022.
The offer for Black Hawk is the second offer made by the US government, which earlier offered the Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters as alternative to the Russian ones.
This was confirmed by Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez to lawmakers. Ambassador Romualdez said the US offered between 13 to 14 Black Hawk helicopters to fit the budget set by the Philippine Air Force for its Heavy Lift Helicopter Acquisition Project.
Due to the higher price of the CH-47F Chinook, it is expected that only between 4 to 5 helicopters can fit the Air Force’s budget, which may not be enough considering Russia offered to sell 16 Mil Mi-17 and even made a commitment to probably provide an extra helicopter as part of the contract.
(Da Real)