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.
The use of air power by both sides in the ongoing conflict has been extensively focused on, influencing policy and procurement around the world. But are the lessons from the front line universally applicable, or should other nations be planning for very different scenarios?
Six Super Tucano aircraft were ordered in July 2024, with Paraguay the fifth South American country to add the aircraft to modernise its fleet.
The takeover of the Italian firm by Baykar solidifies the company’s efforts to forge closer ties with Italian industry, bolsters its partnership with Leonardo to produce UAVs and secures its foothold in Europe.
The F-15EX Eagle II had already been singled out for further funding in January 2025, when it was chosen to replace the A-10 aircraft for the US National Guard.
Spain’s Defence Minister told the Senate Defense Commission on 27 June of the decision to acquire Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) trainers as the country seeks to replace its Northrop F-5M aircraft.
The company has tested over 15 mission sets for the drone, with the rotorcraft used to demonstrate the viability of armed forces utilising large uncrewed aerial systems’ (UAS) for autonomous missions in the future.
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