By Oluwatosin Maliki
On Tuesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the purchase of 12 combat helicopters for the Nigerian army aviation to enable them tackle insurgency in the country.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Taoreed Lagbaja made this disclosure while declaring open the Nigerian Army Aviation maiden seminar on Aviation Security Awareness at the Army Headquarters Command Officers’ Mess 1, Abuja.
He said already the army had trained a good number of pilots, aircraft engineers, technicians, and other ground support crew for the smooth take off of the sector.
The army chief, while noting that the army aviation is generally separate from a country’s dedicated air force and usually equipped with helicopters and light support fixed-wing aircraft, said “the outfit is set up to improve ground troops’ agility, responsiveness, and efficacy, while contributing to the overall operational success of joint and coalition troops.”
He said, “In essence, Army Aviation supports those on the ground and focuses on tactical and operational engagements, while the Air Force undertakes big tasks to achieve strategic effects”.
In a statement from the Army’s Director Of Public Relations Onyema Nwachukwu it reads, “The Federal Government of Nigeria in support of the operationalization of Nigerian Army Aviation has approved the acquisition of the initial 12 MD 530F Cayuse Attack Helicopters that will actualize the operationalization of the Nigerian Army (NA) Aviation to effectively tackle security challenges bedeviling the country.”
“The acquisition of the new attack helicopters is part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to boost the operational capabilities of the Army Aviation to appropriately respond to contemporary and emerging security threats.”
“General Lagbaja further revealed that since 2014, the Nigerian Army has made commendable progress in training pilots, aircraft engineers, technicians, and other ground support crews, adding that the Nigerian Army understands the highly technical nature of the aviation business and the need to be appropriately mentored, hence its international collaborations and submission of its nascent aviation outfit to the mentoring of the Nigerian Air Force, as the Service does not have the luxury of making mistakes when it can learn from other experienced aviation outfits,” he added.