Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar has said the country will soon receive the six Super Tucano aircraft from the United States.
The six aircraft are part of the twelve fighter jets sold to Nigeria by the US government to aid combat actions and air assaults. With its low operating cost and versatility, the aircraft has been described as an interesting option for use in missions against terrorist groups.
Mr Abubakar stated this shortly after defending the 2021 budget estimates of the Nigerian Air Force before the Senate Committee on Air Force.
The Nigerian Air Force is also expecting the delivery of 19 additional aircraft in the fight against insecurity in the North East, and air fighters from the Nigeria Air force are already in the US receiving additional training on usage and the applications of the fighter jets when eventually added to the fleet of combat aircraft.
He said the Air Force had carried out operations for over 60,000 hours with half of those in the North East to fight insurgency.
“We are expecting 3 J-17 fighters from Pakistan, 12 super Tucano from the United States, one M-171… Out of the 12 A – 29 Super Tucanos from the US, six are almost here as those to handle them have been sent on training for that purpose,” he said.
He added that “a total of 200 personnel are receiving training in nine different countries of the world on handling combat aircraft. They will soon join their colleagues in the fight against insecurity and in particular, the insurgency in the North East.”
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