Nigeria to take delivery of JF-17 Thunder aircraft
Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), confirmed on 15 February that the air force will receive an unspecified number of JF-17 Thunder multirole fighter aircraft in November 2020. The aircraft are constructed by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) alongside the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
Abubakar also noted that negotiations to procure Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos are ongoing, with an undisclosed number expected to enter into service with the NAF by 2022.
The new NAF aircraft are expected to be used in COIN operations. Nigeria faces security threats from armed bandit groups as well as the Islamist terror group Boko Haram, which has waged a decade-long insurgency in the north of the country.
Abubakar confirmed that the NAF’s aircraft serviceability rate has increased from 35% in July 2015 to 82% by February 2020.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Airbus to fly new CUAS UAV prototype this year]()
Airbus to fly new CUAS UAV prototype this year
The counter-UAS prototype, named Low-cost Air Defence or ‘LOAD’, will be used to combat kamikaze UAS.
-
![Taiwan receives first F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft]()
Taiwan receives first F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft
The aircraft is the first of 66 to be delivered to Taiwan from Lockheed Martin.
-
![Boeing to remanufacture five more US Army MH-47G Block II Chinooks]()
Boeing to remanufacture five more US Army MH-47G Block II Chinooks
The contract award, worth $240 million, is part of the ongoing effort by the US Army to modernise its Block II Chinook rotorcraft fleet.
-
![Avalon 2025: RAAF looks beyond 10 years to when future deliveries may restart]()
Avalon 2025: RAAF looks beyond 10 years to when future deliveries may restart
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has been substantially refreshed in the past two decades including F-35A and F/A-18F fighter aircraft, as well as the addition of transport aircraft such as C-17s, C-130 variants and C-27Js. Additional aircraft may only be a medium-term prospect.
-
![Avalon 2025: BAE Systems eyes customers for its Strix after initial flight]()
Avalon 2025: BAE Systems eyes customers for its Strix after initial flight
The Strix test effort suffered a setback last year when the prototype incurred minor damage in a hard landing during its second trial flight.
