Okodili Nididi, Abuja
In a bid to enhance inter-agency synergy within the military and other security agencies, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has graduated a fresh batch of Helicopter Backdoor Gunners (HBDG), drawn from security agencies.
The graduation of the HBDG, according to a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, will facilitate effective air-ground integration that will improve the freedom of action of surface forces at all echelons during combat operations.
The ceremony took place at the Commando Village of the Regiment Training Centre (RTC), NAF Base, Kaduna.
The statement said: “In the course of the five-week intensive training, the students received tutorials in tactics, techniques and procedures for providing insertion and reinforcement capabilities as well as Close Air Support to ground troops during battle. Ten Nigeria Police Force personnel were trained in the last HBDG Course 5/2019”.
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It added that the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, represented by the NAF Chief of Training and Operations, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) James Gwani, noted that “the training was necessitated by the fluid nature of the contemporary security challenges facing the nation. The use of rotary-wing platforms had become imperative for Close Air Support, as experience over time has shown that rotary-wing platforms are the best suited to the battle space against insurgents, terrorists and other non-conventional forces.”
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