The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, announced that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has received 12 new aircraft over the past year, a significant boost in its operational capacity.
He made this disclosure on Friday during the graduation ceremony of Air War Course 10/2024 at the Air Force War College in Makurdi.
According to Air Marshal Abubakar, the newly acquired aircraft were delivered between September 2023 and September 2024 and are already being deployed for operations.
He said, “In line with the Federal Government’s resolve to adequately equip the Nigerian Air Force for the safe conduct of training and agile airpower deployment to meet the nation’s security challenges, we have taken delivery of 12 new platforms since the last Air War Course graduation in September last year.”
The new additions include four Diamond 62 surveillance aircraft, two King Air 360 light transport aircraft, four T-129 ATAK helicopters, and two Agusta Westland 109 Trekker helicopters.
In further developments, the CAS revealed that the NAF is expecting more aircraft in the coming months.
These include 24 M-346 fighter jets and 10 additional Agusta Westland 109 Trekker helicopters from Italy.
The service also anticipates the delivery of three CASA 295 transport aircraft from Spain and 12 AH-1Z Viper helicopters from the United States.
Speaking on the NAF’s capacity to address the country’s security challenges, Abubakar stressed the importance of collaboration with other security agencies.
He said, “We will promote seamless interoperability of equipment and joint force employment with other services and agencies. Cooperation is crucial to meeting the high expectations of Nigerians, especially in restoring peace and security.”
He also advised the graduating officers to remain committed to continuous learning and the values of integrity, selfless service, and excellence.
In his remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Muhammad Abubakar, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Dr Ibrahim Kana, acknowledged the country’s complex security challenges.
He urged the military to adopt innovative and proactive strategies in combating rising threats posed by violent non-state actors and asymmetric warfare.
“The Nigerian Air Force has been at the forefront in addressing these challenges, and your training at this esteemed institution has equipped you with the necessary skills to contribute to this effort,” the Defence Minister said.
The Commandant of the Air Force War College, AVM Adebayo Kehinde, reported that 26 participants graduated after a rigorous nine-month programme.
The graduating cohort included 17 representatives from the NAF, two each from the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army, two from the National Defence College, one from the Ghana Air Force, and two from the Cameroon Air Force.
The graduation event underscores the Nigerian Air Force’s continued focus on training and capacity-building to meet the evolving security challenges facing the nation.
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