Nigeria Buys 18 Assault Helicopters from US and Turkey

According to the Nigerian Air Force, 18 attack helicopters from the US and Turkey will be arriving soon to bolster its fleet.

Hassan Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, revealed this during a daylong tour of the NAF 115 Special Operations Group’s formations and units on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He said he was there to express his condolences to the families of the NAF pilots and crew who perished in the August 14 helicopter crash in Niger.

The force, according to Abubakar, is pained by the recent loss of its aircraft (MI 171 helicopter), but it is unconcerned because there are many more on the way.

We are not intimidated by recent happenings, he declared, since the Federal Government has authorized the purchase of six T129 helicopters and twelve AH1 Zulu Cobra helicopters from Turkey and the United States, respectively. To improve our operational capabilities, the first two T129 helicopters should be operational by September.

When the tragedy happened, the MI 171 helicopter had just taken off from Kaduna for Minna, the capital of the Niger State.