The Philippine Air Force has retired its last Huey helicopters after 57 years of service, closing a chapter that began when the first four aircraft arrived in the country in 1969.

The final six UH-1H Hueys were decommissioned in a ceremony on Thursday 5 November at Brig. Gen. Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, led by the Air Force commanding general, Lt. Gen. Arthur M. Cordura.

Air Force spokesperson Col. Alvin Jay Capinguian said all six helicopters were still operational when they were retired. In recent years they had been used mostly for training, as newer S-70i Black Hawk helicopters took over transport and disaster-response missions.

The Hueys supported military operations, troop transport, medical evacuations and humanitarian missions across the country. A statement from the Air Force said the decommissioning "marks the end of an important chapter in its history" as the service continues its modernisation programme.

Black Hawks take over the transport role

The retirement came more than two months after the Air Force completed a 32-helicopter Black Hawk acquisition under a contract signed in 2022, with the final seven aircraft accepted on 26 August. The Black Hawks carry more and have more modern communications equipment than the analogue-era Hueys.

The six retired aircraft will move to the Air Logistics and Support Command for storage, and their eventual disposition has yet to be decided. Capinguian said the retirement covers the UH-1H type only and does not automatically include other Huey variants still in the inventory.

The retirement followed a fatal crash of a Super Huey in Agusan del Sur in November 2025 that killed six Air Force personnel during a disaster-response mission. Capinguian said the tragedy did not directly influence the decision, and that discussions on retiring the fleet had been under way for years.