Nigeria expands UAV fleet for counter-terror operations

8th December 2020 - 10:45 GMT | by Mrityunjoy Mazumdar in California

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Eight UCAVs will be based in northern Nigeria for strike missions against Boko Haram and Islamic State elements, and budget plans for 2021 include UAVs for ISR.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), which is amongst a select group of UCAV operators in Africa, recently revealed that it is set to deploy eight new Chinese-built MALE combat platforms: two Wing Loong IIs, four CH-4s and two CH-3s.

These will complement a fleet of 12 CH-3 UCAVs which are regularly used for operational missions. AM Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff, said last month that the new assets will enhance the ISR and strike capabilities of the NAF, ‘not only in the fight against armed banditry in the northwest and north central, but also in counterinsurgency operations in the ...

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