The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has taken delivery of five new helicopters as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its operational capabilities and modernise its fleet.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday.
The platforms comprise three AW-109 Trekker B helicopters manufactured by Leonardo Helicopters of Italy and two H-125 helicopters produced by Airbus Helicopters.
Ejodame said the three AW-109 helicopters, part of 10 recently acquired by the Federal Government, arrived in Lagos on September 15. The remaining seven are expected to be delivered before the end of the year, while the two H-125 helicopters were delivered earlier.
“The delivery of the five helicopters marks another major milestone in the Federal Government’s drive to modernise Nigeria’s airpower and strengthen the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces,” the statement reads.
The NAF said the new platforms would expand its fleet while enhancing operational flexibility, responsiveness and sustainability, with additional capacity to support joint operations, protect communities and improve national security.
Chief of Air Staff, Sunday Aneke, described the acquisition as “another significant milestone in the federal government’s sustained investment in the modernisation and re-equipment of the NAF”.
Aneke said the new aircraft would increase asset availability and improve the service’s responsiveness across multiple theatres of operation.
According to him, the arrival of the five helicopters “provides greater flexibility in the employment of airpower in support of ground troops in ongoing operations.”
He said the three AW-109 Trekker B helicopters would strengthen the NAF’s capabilities in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, close air support, armed escort, combat search and rescue, and other joint operations in support of surface forces.
The two H-125 helicopters, he added, would provide versatile and responsive light helicopter support for various operational requirements.
Aneke said the NAF “will continue to prioritise effective employment, maintenance and logistics sustainment so that every aircraft delivered adds measurable value to ongoing operations and the protection of the lives and property of Nigerians.”
He added that the increased rotary-wing capacity would strengthen support for joint forces in countering terrorism, kidnapping and banditry while improving the speed, reach and effectiveness of air support to troops on the ground.
Ejodame said the helicopters were undergoing post-delivery assembly ahead of their induction and operationalisation, including the necessary technical and crew-readiness processes.
