By Sanni Onogu, Abuja
Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar has stated the Nigeria Air Force is expecting delivery of 19 additional aircraft to aid its fight against insurgency and banditry in the country.
Abubakar made this revelation when he defended the 2021 Budget estimates of the Nigeria Air Force before the Senate Committee on Air Force at the National Assembly in Abuja.
He said the Air Force had carried out operation 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 and 3 special mission aircraft from NIMASA. We are talking of about 19 additional aircraft,” he stressed.
The Chief of Air Staff also said one hanger had been relocated to Maiduguri to support aircraft maintenance.
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Sadique said the NAF had trained 119 pilots from Liberia Air Force in support of the West African military.
He added about 200 personnel were receiving training in nine different countries.
“We are expecting that these pilots would soon join their colleagues in the fight against insecurity,” he said.
He added the series of training had greatly improved the efficiency of the NAF in covert operation.
A member of the committee Senator Sani Musa (Niger East) urged the Federal Government to dedicate resources and deploy technology to fight insurgency.
He lamented the N1 billion allocated for training is not enough for serious training, research and development.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Air Force, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, said the panel would be willing to visit the North East for on-the-spot assessment of the region.
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