Lack of proper maintenance of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet has been revealed as reason why it was easy for bandits in Zamfara to bring down the military fighter jet.
The jet, which was returning to base after an “air interdiction mission” against bandits, was downed on July 18 at a boundary between Zamfara and Kaduna when it came under “heavy gun fire” by bandits.
A military source has told THE WHISTLER that the aircraft was faulty and needed maintenance before the operation.
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Flight Lieutenant Abayomi Dairo, who flew the aircraft, was said to have been selected to carry out the operation because of his flying skills.
The military source said the pilot had no option than to fly low, making him vulnerable to the bandits’ attack.
Dairo had reportedly jumped out from the dropping aircraft using a parachute and was subsequently rescued after navigating his way out of the woods with the help of the GPS on his smartphone.
But responding to THE WHISTLER’s request for comment, NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, described the claim as an unintelligent argument.
“Alpha Jet can fly high [and] can fly low, looking for opportunity targets. Those are targets that you do not even plan to attack…like bandits on motor cycles. So, there are many reasons [why an aircraft can fly low]. It doesn’t have to be that the aircraft was bad,” said Gabkwet.
He said the NAF was still investigating the incident and had not yet “gotten to that stage of disclosing all of that information”.
Gabkwet’s words: “From the get go you have gotten it wrong. It’s like a non-pilot claiming to know the technicalities of an aircraft.
“What you should ask is what kind of weapon can bring down an Alpha Jet. Didn’t a rocket bring down a Boeing aircraft in Ukraine the other time? Was that aircraft flying low level?
“That Alpha Jet can fly very low…Even the JF17 that just came…didn’t you see how low it flew and then went 90 degrees? Are you saying the aircraft had engine or mechanical problem when it flew low?”
Our source, however, noted that the pilot had completed his mission and was returning to base when the bandits struck. He said the pilot could have used his experience to navigate the aircraft to safety if not for the alleged mechanical fault it had.
Probed further on if the pilot flew low when the aircraft was brought down, the NAF spokesperson said: “These are things that are subject to investigation and confirmation. We have not told anybody that the aircraft was flying low or was flying high. What we said was that the aircraft came under “enemy fire” and unfortunately it hit the aircraft and the pilot had to run away and by the grace of God, he escaped alive.
“The height of the aircraft at the time it was shot down is totally another issue…that has never been discussed, we’ve never disclosed it and we have not gotten to that stage of disclosing all of that information. We have lost an aircraft and our officer is fine…that is even more important to us.”
Gabkwet further expressed assurance that with the recent delivery of six 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force would better position the military to root out bandits and insurgents terrorizing the country.
The Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet
The Alpha Jet is a light attack aircraft that has been used by a number of air forces across the globe, including the French, German, Belgian and Nigerian Air Forces, amongst others.
The aircraft, capable of flying up to 1,000 kilometers per hour and 48,000 feet above sea level, is designed to carry out air attacks on hostile targets.
Manufactured by Dassault of France and Dornier of Germany, the aircraft is estimated to cost between $12 and $15 million.
Its combination of high performance, fuel endurance and reliability made it a go-to platform for many types of air operations.
But in a rare case of downing of a military aircraft by bandits, the Nigerian Air Force recently confirmed losing one of its fighter jets to “intense ground fire” from bandits.
It was the first confirmed case of the downing of military aircraft by bandits or terrorists. Aerospace publication, Flight International, reports that the Alpha Jet requires hours of maintenance for every flight hour.
The Nigerian military had denied similar reports in April on the alleged shooting down of an Alpha Jet in Borno State.
There were also speculations that terrorists may be responsible for the military plane crash which killed the country’s immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other officers.