The Presidency has announced that the long awaited, Nigerian Air Force (NAF)’s 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack, combat/reconnaissance aircraft will be delivered to Nigeria by mid-July.
The A-29 Super Tucano aircraft has a precision offered by laser-guided bombs and the ability to strike at night. This means that with its inventory into the NAF fleet, the “enemies know that they can hide anywhere, but not from A-29.”
It is designed and built for the counter-terrorism missions.
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Presidential Spokesperson, Garba Shehu, revealed this via his Twitter handle Thursday.
While the first six will arrive mid-July 2021, the remaining six will arrive “shortly after that.”
In his word: “There are 14 Nigerian pilots currently training at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.
“The Super Tucanos came off the production line in Jacksonville Florida and are now being equipped and flight tested. Nigerian pilots and maintenance personnel are training on these planes. Currently, the construction is ongoing, which will house the aircraft.
“In November 2018, SNC was awarded a $329 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the US government to build 12 A-29s for the Nigerian air force. The armed turboprops are intended for use against Boko Haram and Islamic State militants.”