The United States is second to none when it comes to quality and the Super Tucano embodies this fact. The A-29 aircaft is purpose built from the ground up for COIN missions. Every component is almost a customized design. Perhaps part of the reason it took so long.
It can operate from austere locations under difficult circumstances. The landing wheels are so strong you'd think they were built to slam unto the decks of an aircraft carrier.
The first batch six delivered came with their full combat package. The incoming batch of six are coming with their full ISR FLIR package for combat reconnaisance.
The Air Base infrastructure housing the aircrafts are the first of its kind in Africa. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers selected Tetra Tech to provide engineering expertise for perimeter security, an 8,000 foot runway and airfield that will house the $500 million worth of plane
The A-29s and will dominate the skies of the northeast/west for close air support COIN operations because of their slow speed, long loiter time and precision guided weaponry.
Two M- 346FA Tactical Squadron (24 aircrafts) will most certainly replace the Alpha as the workhorse of the NAF. A radar equipped multirole fighter combining high performance with the versatility
to tackle multiple missions. A cost effective, tactical solution to the requirement of the modern battlefield. The NAF scored big on this one.
Nigeria's fleet of Wing Loong II, Chang Hong -4 and CH-3B armed attack drones will be the permanent sentry in the sky, able to stay airborne for 30 hours. It can stay up all night. There's no hiding from this one. It has all the time in the world. Never gets tired.
The JF-17 and F-7Ni air superiority fighters will be Nigeria's first line of defence against a hostile air force.
They are the only airframes in our arsenal designed for fight air to air combat. The JF-17 is equiped with advanced avionics and weapons to detect, acquire,
track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy airspace. The F-7Ni though an old platform is still a very lethal fighter, but will play a supporting role in Strategic Air Defence.
It didn't take long for the world to figure out the combat potential of the JF-17 with proven combat experience in Pakistan and Nigeria (in the air to ground role). It is fast becoming
the fastest selling 4th gen fighter in the world at the moment, with Nigeria, Myammar, Argentina and Saudi Arabia showing interest. It is our most strategic air defence asset
whose ultimate purpose will be to defeat hostile planes that violate Nigeria's airspace in combat.
The NAF has plans to aquire as many as 36 planes in the near future.
What we are looking at is the largest and most capable air force in Sub Saharan Africa, far outstripping its nearest rival, the South African airforce in numbers, combat experience and on par qualitatively.
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