Insecurity: NAF to induct 10 Fighter Aircraft, 10 Trainer Aircraft into Weaponry.
As part of the determination of the Nigerian Air force to rise to security challenges in the country particularly the war on terror in the North East and renewed militancy in the Niger Delta, the force has procured 10 new assault aircraft including 4 Mi 35 helicopter gunships from Russia, 3 JF-17 Thunder aircraft from Pakistan and 3 pre-owned Super Tucano aircraft from Brazil.
The aircraft are soon to be inducted into the NAF Fleet.
Also, the Airforce has procured 10 Super Mushshak primary trainer aircraft from Pakistan for training of pilots even as it has successfully reactivated 13 additional aircraft that were hitherto grounded for one maintenance reason or the other into flying status.
According to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, “The aircraft are 3 Mi-24 helicopters, 2 Mi-35 helicopter gunships, 2 EC-135, one Beechcraft, one Falcon, one Super-Puma attack Helicopter, one DA-42, 2 A-109 LUHs and 2 Donier 228”.
He added that “Currently, 2 air planes, NAF 027 and NAF 931 ATR 42-MPA are at advanced stage of reactivation.
Air Marshal Abubakar who was speaking in Abuja, also disclosed that a new Tactical deployment Command known as the ‘Special Operations Command’ has been inaugurated.
The new NAF Command which is equivalent to a Division in the Nigerian Army like the 6th Division recently established in Rivers state is located in Bauchi State and its function include fast operational deployments at short notice in cases of security breaches in any part of the country.
The Special Operations Command which will comprise of an air wing of fighter aircraft, Logistics aircraft as well as regiment troops among others will have the special regiment units in Gusau, Zamfara State, Owerri in Imo state, Ipetu Ijesha in Osun State and Bauchi as Command headquarters.
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With the establishment of the new command, the NAF now has a 5 command structure made up of Tactical Air Command, Makurdi; Training Command, Kaduna; Logistics Command, Lagos, Mobility Command, Yenegoa and Special Operations Command, Bauchi.
Air Marshal Abubakar noted that the establishment of the command was necessitated by the expanded role the NAF is playing in the Counter Insurgency operations in different parts of the country particularly the war against terrorism and renewed militancy in the Niger Delta.
To this end, he disclosed that the NAF has trained over 700 personnel of different specialties in several parts of the world in the last 18 months pointing out that some of the products of these training will be deployed to the Special Operations Command.
“Today, we have Flying Officers as Captains, Co-pilots, Flight Engineers and Instructor Pilots on the C-130. We have 40 pilots training in different parts of the world while 27 are training in Nigeria” he said.
“Additionally, we have expanded the infrastructure in recruit training school to accommodate 2, 500 recruits at a time as against 500 recruits in the past”.
Abubakar further disclosed that the NAF has established a new Air War College in Makurdi to help build the capacity of middle level manpower towards understanding Air Operations.
On the NAF’s assistance to IDPs in the North East, the Air Chief said, “Beyond bombs and rockets, we introduced a robust and strategic partnership with the communities in the North East through establishment of Level 2 hospitals in Dalori and Bama IDP camps.
“Available statistics show that 26, 384 out patients have been administered in the hospitals from September 2015 till date. The NAF has also drilled boreholes and provided shelter and toilet facilities to the IDPs”.
Emphasizing that “This partnership has created a sense of ownership of the service in the minds of the people” Abubakar said, “They have realized that we are partners with a common objective of protecting their lives and properties. This new partnership has impacted positively on the effectiveness of our operations”.
END.
