Thread by @DefenseNigeria

The A-29s unique combination of durability, situational awareness, combined with lethal PGM air to ground weapons, makes the A-29 the gold standard for light attack, combat and reconnaissance aircraft in the world. Its plethora of weapons have been wrecking havoc on BHT/ISWAP.

Weapons like the Hydra 70 on LAU-131/A rocket launcher. The Hydra-70 rocket system is a family of 2.75in unguided rockets derived from the Mk 4/Mk 40 folding-fin aerial rocket.

Conventional drop bombs with 250 pound warheads. There are limitations with these kind of ordnance. The spot where an unguided bomb hits the ground is a function of the direction and speed of the plane and the wind and atmospheric conditions while the bomb is in flight.

A bomb dropped half a second too late can miss its target by hundreds of feet. You can cause a great deal of collateral or civilian casualties if used in close proximity to civilian areas. A fact terrorist the world over know and exploit.

The stage was set for the acquisition of precision guided munitions like the GBU-12 Paveway Laser Guided Bomb. This weapon gave the NAF a single kill shot probability.

2021 marked the first extensive use of precision guided munitions in the history of Nigeria with the Paveway Laser Guided Bomb. However, "smart" bombs, unlike missiles, have no propulsion systems of their own.

They are propelled only by gravity and the momentum of the launching aircraft. A seeker head locks onto the target and the flight path is adjusted by varying control fins and canards on the bomb.

The laser guided bomb requires a laser designator pod carried by the aircaft or by troops on the ground. The soldier will focus a laser beam on the target, painting it continuously and reflecting back outward a cone of laser energy called the basket.

Once the bomb is released the bomb’s seeker head locks onto the laser illumination and homes on the target. The bomb flies in a zigzag course to the target as the fins made a corrective switch every few seconds to bring the laser reflection back to the center of the seeker head.

Using laser guided technology NAF pilots are now able to strike with extreme precision, limiting civilian casualties while still having a greater, more profound effect on the battlefield.

Now, most of the munitions dropped by the NAF are still regular iron bombs, but smart bombs like the Paveway LGBs have made an extraordinary impact against high value targets. You often hear of ISWAP commanders killed, what you dont hear is the kind of munition dropped.

With only 400 in stock and costing tens of thousands of dollars apiece, the available smart bombs are judiciously assigned to the most important targets, where they make a difference, even in small numbers and force thousands of confused insurgents to surrender.

They have multiplied the effectiveness of strike sorties and taken out targets that were previously too difficult.