Antonov Airlines has transported five S-70i Black Hawk helicopters on a single AN-124-100 flight from Rzeszów, Poland, to Angeles, the Philippines.

The cargo weighed 35 tonnes in total, including loading equipment, and is the second delivery of the Polish-built S-70i Black Hawk helicopters to the Philippines.

The loading procedure was completed using the AN-124-100’s winches.

Each S-70i helicopter measured 17.52 m long, 3.2 m wide, 3.9 m in height, and weighed 5.6 tonnes.

Detailed loading and unloading plans were developed by Antonov Airlines’ in-house engineers to ensure the safe stowage and transport of the military cargo within the AN-124-100’s cargo cabin specifications.

“Although the total payload in terms of weight was quite light for our aircraft – loading five helicopters safely and transporting them without damage takes considerable collaboration. We have been working closely with Sikorsky as well as their logistics supplier Helicopter International Shipping Services (HISS) for several months to ensure that all current and future program requirements are met,” said Amnon Ehrlich, director North America – aerospace, government, and defence programmes.