MANILA - Five more Sikorsky-S70 Black Hawk helicopters have arrived in the country to serve in the Philippine Air Force.

The Philippine Air Force said in a statement that the five Black Hawks arrived at Clark Air Base aboard a transport plane on Monday.

Last November, five Black Hawks were delivered to the Philippines while another arrived in December 2020.

• 5 Black Hawk choppers from Poland arrive for PH Air Force

With the latest acquisition, the Philippine Air Force has 11 Black Hawks, and 5 more are expected to arrive before yearend.

"The recent arrival of the five (5) Blackhawks will further boost the heli-lift capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and will help the government deliver more services in more areas in less time," the PAF said.

The 16 Black Hawks, which cost more than $240 million, were procured through a government deal with Poland, where Sikorsky is based.

The first batch of the Polish-made choppers have been used to transport COVID-19 vaccines and PPEs to remote areas in the Philippines, the PAF said.

"With this new arrival, the PAF will be a better partner in the fight against the pandemic and a reliable ally in nation building," it said.

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv