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The Nigerian Air Force is set to take delivery of 52 aircraft in the fight against insurgents.
Delivery, which will begin by December, will continue into 2023. This is one of the largest acquisitions of aircraft by the air force – to be added to the 38 aircraft already delivered since 2015.
Isiaka Amao, chief of air staff, said the aircraft would boost the Nigerian air power employment and projection capabilities as well as air combat training.
He listed the new aircraft platforms being expected to include: two Agusta 109 Trekker multi-role helicopters, two Beechcraft King Air 360, four Diamond DA-62 surveillance aircraft, three Wing Loong II UCAVs and six T-129 ATAK helicopters.
Others include two CASA-295 medium airlift/surveillance aircraft, 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters, and 24 M-346 attack aircraft.
Agusta 109 Trekker multi-role helicopters
The AW109 payload and performance make it ideally suited to Emergency Medical Services and Search and Rescue missions. Excellent Category A Class 1 performance ensures the aircraft can safely take off and land in tightly enclosed areas and respond rapidly to incidents. The spacious cabin enables efficient patient care.
The AW109 TrekkerM is a three-tonne class military helicopter capable of operating in the most austere environments. It boasts excellent ‘hot and high’ performance, combined with high inherent safety levels. The rugged design, small footprint, and skid landing gear ensure that the aircraft is optimised to perform a variety of demanding missions.
The AW109 TrekkerM, the military version of the AW109 Trekker, is the new multi-mission, light twin-engine helicopter that delivers rugged and reliable capability allied with outstanding mission flexibility, high performance and speed.
Beechcraft King Air 360
King Air — a muscle airplane of sorts — has certainly stood the test of time, nearly 60 years since the first model 90 took to the air. With more than 7,000 King Airs having rolled off the Beechcraft production line since 1964, King Air magazine labelled it the most modified business airplane in history. Companies including Raisbeck Engineering, Garmin, BLR Aerospace and Blackhawk Aerospace would not have wasted time and money designing retrofit options for King Airs if they didn’t see a market — and they were right.
The Beechcraft King Air 360 turboprop represents the latest upgrade to one of the sky’s most iconic aircraft. Additional features and benefits include an enhanced digital pressurisation system, Onboard Maintenance System updates, a full regime autothrottle system, and six new interior schemes. The latest iteration in the best-selling King Air family is designed for comfort and built for adventure.
Cabin improvements bring increased comfort and elegance to the King Air 360 turboprop. Most notable is a lower cabin altitude resulting from higher cabin pressure. The latest model also features contemporary design cues found in luxury SUVs, plus reshaped cabinetry, resculpted sidewalls with pinhole lighting, upgraded seat design, illuminated cup holders and low-profile air/light adjusters.
Diamond DA-62 surveillance aircraft
The DA62 MPP has been specially designed for carrying multi-functional aerial sensors, like EO/IR cameras, land and sea radars, COMINT solutions, airborne laser scanners or large format digital aerial cameras, and more.
Mission kits can be mounted on specific hard points located on the nose and belly of the aircraft as well as in the cabin and nose luggage compartments. A stronger Universal Nose carries EO/IR cameras up to 20 inch and 60 kg, the belly is designed for maritime or land radar applications up to 50 kg, and the newly designed SATCOM pod easily houses L-, Ku-, or Ka Band antennas.
Read also: Nigerian Air Force to receive 36 new aircraft soon – Buhari
Wing Loong II UCAVs
Wing Loong II UCAVs are unmanned aerial vehicles capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in the People’s Republic of China. Intended for use as a surveillance and aerial reconnaissance and precision strike platform, Chengdu unveiled the concept of Wing Loong II at the Aviation Expo China in Beijing in September 2015. Wing Loong II has long-range strike capability with a satellite link.
The Wing Loong II was used by the United Arab Emirates to perform airstrikes against the Government of National Accord in the Libyan civil war.
Wing Loong II is an enlarged version of Wing Loong I with longer body and wider wingspan. It has a slender fuselage, V-tail and ventral fin. The aircraft features retractable landing gear, including two main wheels under the fuselage and one single wheel under the nose. Each wing has three Hardpoints under the wings with capability of carrying bombs, rockets or air-to-surface missiles. A satellite communications antenna is situated on the top front surface of the fuselage, offering long-range data transmission between the UAV and the ground station.
T-129 ATAK helicopters
This helicopter is a twin-engine, tandem-seat, multi-role, all-weather attack helicopter based on the Agusta A129 Mangusta platform. The T129 was developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries in partnership with Leonardo (AgustaWestland Helicopters). The helicopter is designed for armed reconnaissance and attack missions in hot and high environments and rough geography in both day and night conditions.
The ATAK programme was begun to meet the requirements of Turkish Armed Forces for an armed tactical reconnaissance and an attack helicopter. The T129 is the result of the integration of Turkish-developed avionics, airframe modifications, and weapon systems onto the AgustaWestland A129 airframe, with upgraded engines, transmission and rotor blades. It is in use by the Turkish Army and other services including the Turkish Gendarmerie.
CASA-295 medium airlift/surveillance aircraft
This aircraft type is a medium tactical transport aircraft that was designed and initially manufactured by the Spanish aerospace company CASA.
Beyond its use as a tactical transporter, the C-295 is capable of performing a wide variety of missions effectively. These included parachute and cargo dropping, electronic signals intelligence, medical evacuation and maritime patrol. Some of the equipment for adapting the aircraft to performing various roles has been mounted onto pallets, allowing for its rapid installation and removal.
M-346 attack aircraft
The M-346 attack aircraft is a family of military twin-engine transonic advanced jet trainers and light combat aircraft. Originally co-developed with Yakovlev as the Yak/AEM-130, the partnership was dissolved in 2000 and the then Alenia Aermacchi proceeded to separately develop the M-346 Master, while Yakolev continued work on the Yakovlev Yak-130.
The first flight of the M-346 was performed in 2004. The type is currently operated by the air forces of Italy, Israel, Singapore, and Poland. In 2016, the manufacturer became Leonardo-Finmeccanica as Alenia Aermacchi merged into the new Finmeccanica, finally rebranded as Leonardo in 2017.
