by GEORGE AMURAO
When expectant observers failed to hear the familiar whup-whup sound of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois or “Huey” helicopter, the new sound of rotors slicing the air at the former Clark Air Base heralded the arrival of the Philippine Air Force’s new armed light utility helicopter, the Sokol W3A.
Its acquisition is part of the government’s military modernization plan that aims to purchase both refurbished and new aircraft, ships, vehicles and other weapons both for internal security and a subsequent transition to external defense. While the delivery of the Sokols are nominally part of the armed forces’ counter-insurgency/internal security operations procurement package, the armed helicopters land at a time that the Philippines is jousting with China over contested maritime territories in the South China Sea.
Four of the eight Sokols arrived at Villamor Air Base this month from the helicopter company’s factory in Poland. The eight Sokol (Polish for “Falcon”) light utility helicopters, which were purchased for 2.8 billion pesos (US$64.4 million) from Polish company PZL Swidnik, can mount an M60 machine gun on each side, come equipped with night vision devices and unlike the older Hueys can transport 10 rather than seven passengers.
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