The Nigerian Air Force has announced the forthcoming acquisition of 18 attack helicopters from the United States and Turkey, with the aim of enhancing its existing fleet.
During a visit to the NAF 115 Special Operations Group in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Chief of Air Staff, Hassan Abubakar, expressed his condolences to the families of the NAF pilots and crew who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash in Niger on August 14th.
Abubakar expressed the deep sorrow experienced by the force due to the recent unfortunate incident involving its MI 171 helicopter. However, he conveyed that the force remains undeterred as they anticipate the arrival of a substantial number of replacement aircraft in the near future.
He said, “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.”
When the tragedy happened, the MI 171 helicopter had just taken off from Kaduna for Minna, the capital of the Niger State.
