The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) will soon take delivery of 18 attack helicopters to boost security in the country.
This was made known on Wednesday by the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Hassan Abubakar at a one-day tour of formations and units under the NAF 115 Special Operations Group (SOG) in Port Harcourt.
Abubakar revealed that the United States would supply 12 attack helicopters with the Turkish government also providing six helicopters in September.
In his words:
“We are not deterred by recent developments as the federal government has approved the acquisition of 12 AH1 Zulu Cobra and six T129 Helicopters from the United States and Turkey, respectively.
“The first two T129 helicopters are scheduled to come into operation by September to enhance our operational capabilities.
“So, yes, we are saddened by the recent loss of our airplane (MI 171 helicopter), but then, we have a lot more (aircraft) coming in, and our capabilities are increasing,” he said.
The CAS said he visited the state to commiserate with families of the NAF pilots and crew that died in the ill-fated helicopter crash in Niger on Aug. 14.
“So, we came here to express our deepest condolences to the immediate family members of the crew that we lost.
“The 115 special operations group is the home base for the airplane and all the crew that were onboard the unfortunate crash of our MI-171 helicopter.
“Aside this, we are also here to interact with the officers and men of the unit to encourage and assure them of our support in Operation Delta Safe,” he added.
