Nigeria is building the best integrated networks of sattelites, land and sea based radars along with sophisticated aircraft overhead to detect and track targets on land and sea. We have Boko Haram and sea pirates to thank for this.
For years the Nigerian Navy’s Rear Admiral Henry Babalola warned there were “blind arcs” in Nigeria's territorial waters and the entire Gulf of Guinea, a huge security problem that will be solved if RMAC was complemented with the Falcon Eye surveillance project.
In June 2016, the Nigerian Navy finally began operating the Israeli designed UAE built Falcon Eye maritime surveillance system for operations across the Gulf of Guinea. One of the most sophisticated maritime surveillance platform of its class in the world.
Falcon Eye’s six electro-optical stations monitor aircraft, vessels and offshore oil infrastructure. Through its integral radar, automatic identification system they provides round the clock surveillance of the maritime environment up to 35 nautical miles from the coast.
Nigeria operates the most sophisticated maritime patrol aircraft in Africa, the ATR-42 maritime patrol plane. They plug into the Falcon Eye. With a radar range of 185km they can track any ship in Nigeria’s territorial waters within 15 mins from their base at Port Harcourt.
This is made possible by the Leonardo airborne tactical observation and surveillance system with the Sea Spray 7000E active electronically scanned array (AESA) multi-mode surveillance radar.
It gets better. The new Special Mission Aircraft delivered yesterday
is even more advanced.
Who remembers the scam (PICOMSS). The agency meant to protect Nigeria’s maritime domain and oil and gas installations. It had installed surveillance radars along Nigeria’s coast and received millions in funding for UAVs. Well, ....i leave you to fill the blank.
PICOMSS was dissolved in 2012 and NIMASA took over the mantle in providing shore based surveillance systems. They've acquired drones and of course a new special mission aircraft for maritime domain awareness.
Beyond land and sea Nigeria is expanding its presence in Space for the enhancement of national security and development. Enacted in 2016 and signed into law on February 3, 2017, Nigeria became the first military in Africa with an independent dedicated Space programme.
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