Air Force retires iconic Huey helicopters as Black Hawks take over

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has retired its last six operational UH-1H helicopters after newer Black Hawks took over most of their transport and disaster-response missions.

PAF spokesperson Col. Alvin Jay Capinguian said on Friday that all six helicopters were still operational before their formal decommissioning on Thursday at Brig. Gen. Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

However, the helicopters, commonly known as Hueys, had largely been used for training in recent years as the S-70i Black Hawks assumed their previous duties.

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READ: PAF receives last 7 Black Hawks completes 32-helicopter acquisition

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“The S-70i Black Hawk has already taken over” the Huey’s former air transport role, Capinguian said in a virtual interview.

“The Huey has played a very minor role in recent years,” he added.

Capinguian said the retirement was part of the Air Force’s modernization efforts as the aging helicopters could no longer keep pace with the military’s changing operational requirements.

He explained that the Black Hawks have greater carrying capacity and more advanced communications equipment than the UH-1H helicopters, which rely on analog systems.

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The older aircraft sometimes had difficulty communicating with newer radios and equipment being acquired by the Philippine Army and Navy, he said.

“As iconic as it is, hindi na siya nakaka-catch up sa modern needs ng armed forces (It can no longer keep up with the modern needs of the armed forces),” Capinguian said.

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The six retired helicopters, which had remained at their home base in Mactan, will be transferred from the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing to the Air Logistics and Support Command for storage.

Their eventual disposition has yet to be determined.

The retirement came more than two months after the PAF completed the acquisition of 32 additional S-70i Black Hawk helicopters under a contract signed in 2022 with Polish manufacturer PZL Mielec.

The final seven helicopters were formally accepted on Aug. 26, completing the acquisition program aimed at strengthening the military’s transport and disaster-response capabilities.

Capinguian also clarified that the fatal crash of a Super Huey helicopter in Agusan del Sur in November 2025, which killed six PAF personnel during a disaster-response mission, did not directly influence the retirement decision.

“Although tragic what happened to the Super Huey was tragic, it did not directly play into the decision for retiring the aircraft,” he said.

He said discussions about retiring the Hueys had been underway for years, with modernization being the primary consideration.

The first four UH-1H helicopters arrived at Villamor Air Base on March 29, 1969, according to the PAF.

READ: Pilot crew of PAF chopper on relief mission killed in crash

Over the next 57 years, the helicopters supported military operations, troop transport, medical evacuations and humanitarian missions across the country.

Capinguian said the PAF was still reviewing historical records to determine the largest number of UH-1H helicopters it had operated at one time.

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He also clarified that the retirement covered the UH-1H aircraft type and did not automatically include other Huey variants. /mr