AEROSPACE | Lockheed Martin to supply Black Hawk training simulators to PAF
Announced Oct. 8, 2026, the direct commercial sale includes training devices, courseware, spare parts and sustainment support through August 2028.
Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Philippine Department of National Defense to supply the Philippine Air Force (PAF) with an S-70 Black Hawk full-motion simulator, a virtual maintenance trainer and training materials to support in-country training.
Announced Oct. 8, 2026, the direct commercial sale includes training devices, courseware, spare parts and sustainment support through August 2028. It is the first order of Lockheed Martin S-70 Black Hawk training devices, according to the company.
The systems are intended to help the PAF train pilots and maintenance personnel locally as the military expands its Black Hawk capabilities. The Philippines operates Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters for missions including search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, firefighting and troop transport.
The full-motion simulator replicates the sights and sensations of flying an S-70 Black Hawk. The virtual maintenance trainer uses physics-based models of aircraft subsystems, including hydraulics and avionics, allowing maintenance personnel to practice procedures in a simulated environment.
“It’s a privilege to partner with the Philippine Air Force with a suite of systems to support their training requirements as they grow their fleet of S-70 Black Hawk helicopters,” said Tim James, vice president of Air and Commercial Solutions at Lockheed Martin.
“This contract award is a long-term investment in the PAF’s mission readiness and reflects Lockheed Martin’s proven ability to deliver sustainment solutions across the entire operational pipeline,” he added.
William Blair, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and regional chief executive for Asia and India, said the training systems would support the PAF’s growing force and fleet.
“These solutions build on the PAF’s ongoing efforts to enhance training, ensuring crews and maintainers remain mission-ready, while advancing their broader modernization goals,” Blair said.
The PAF will continue sending Black Hawk pilots to the U.S.-based Sikorsky Training Academy while its local training capability is established.
Lockheed Martin said its training portfolio uses digital twins of aircraft systems and components to create simulations that can be updated alongside aircraft modernization. The company offers Black Hawk training devices ranging from desktop trainers to immersive virtual environments.
The defense contractor also provides training systems for other aircraft, including the CH-53K helicopter, F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, and C-130J transport aircraft.
Full disclosure: All news articles published on the TechSabado website are written by human journalists, unless otherwise specified. Final text editing is also performed by human editors, with artificial intelligence (AI) used only to assist with additional grammar and style guide corrections..
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