NAN-DS-3
Aircraft
By Tijjani Mohammed
Kaduna, Dec. 5, 2016 [NAN] Nigeria on
Monday inducted a training aircraft obtained
from Pakistan to boost the professional
capacity of its Air Force personnel as the
country tackled insurgency and militancy.
Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, Sadiq Abubakar, said at the
inauguration of the Super Mushshak aircraft
in Kaduna that the induction of the aircraft
would boost the training capacity of the
service.
The News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] reports
that the aircraft was officially inaugurated by
Minister of Defence, Mansur Danali,
represented by the Permanent Secretary of the
ministry, Amb. Danjuma Shani.
Abubakar said that the aircraft would impact
positively on pilots training, adding that 35
student pilots of the Nigeria Defence
Academy would immediately commence
flying training on the aircraft.
“The NAF has made tremendous progress in
platform renovation, training and welfare of
personnel.
“In the area of platform reactivation, the NAF
has restored 15 airplanes and helicopters to
flying status in the last 17 months.
“Efforts are also at advanced stage to
reactivate four additional airplanes that will
very soon be serviceable and deployed for
operations.
“Similarly, the government has approved the
procurement/induction of four gunships, four
medium airlift/utility helicopters, three light
attack aircraft and 10 primary trainers, part of
which we are inducting today.
“By the end of the first quarter of 2017, the
NAF would have 21 additional new platforms
in its inventory,” he said.
Abubakar added that in the area of training,
the air force had raised its annual recruit intake
from 1000 to 4000.
“For pilot training, the NAF has trained a
total of 48 pilots from July 2015 till date
while 62 student pilots are undergoing various
forms of pilot training both locally and
abroad.
“By the first quarter of 2017, NAF would have
additional 56 pilots to boost its operational
manpower requirement,” he said.
The chief of air staff He commended the “blossoming relationship
with the Pakistani Air Force” in Nigeria’s
quest for self sufficiency in training, research
and development.
Air Chief Marshal, Sohail Aman, Pakistan Chief
of Air Staff, said the collaboration was to
strengthen existing cordial relations between
Nigeria and his country.
He commended Nigeria for its relentless
efforts at eliminating terrorism, adding, “I am
confident that together we can befittingly
respond to these challenges.
“The convergence of our perceptions on
different global issues ensures tremendous
scope for our two nations for greater
understanding and closer collaboration,” Aman said.[NAN]
TJ/MZA/AMY
Edited by Maharazu Ahmed and Abdullahi Yusuf