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Nigerian Air Force - Fighter Aircraft

Nigeria took delivery of new inventory combat jets in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the MiG (Mikoyan-Guverich) -21 and the Sepecat Jaguar. But by the new century the combat jets were mothballed. As late as 2004 NAF planned to reactivate the MIG-21 aircraft fleet, but critics concluded that the execution was not cost-effective considering the huge amount that would be involved. All aircraft in the fleet were grounded since 1989 and were due for overhauling and upgrading due to outdated technology. Ongoing negotiation with ELTO Company of Israel estimated the cost of reactivation at US $173,410,000.00. The benefits that would be derived from the investment might not justify the amount of resources that would be used for the reactivation. The MIG-21 aircraft being grounded for upwards of 16 years without adequate conservation would require extensive repairs, modifications and upgrading.

By 2010, Nigeria's lead fighter was the Alpha jet light combat-trainer. The 2005 Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly and signed by President Olusegun Obasanjo has provision of N3 billion [roughly US$25,000,000] for the "procurement of Chinese aircraft" for the NAF. In August 2009 it was reported that Nigeria had signed an agreement with a Chinese firm for the supply of new combat jets - the (Finback) F-8IIM - to the service. Discussions on the new jets had begun in 2003. In August 2010 Reuters reported that Nigeria was a potential bulk buyer of the J-10 fighter. By one estimate, a J-10 cost the PLA Air Force about 190 million yuan ($27.84 million), compared to the $15 million-plus price tag on a US F-16 fighter.

Beegeagle's Blog reported in July 2012 that the aircraft in view would almost certainly be of Western origin. The Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Mohammad Dikko Umar was expected to participate at the 12th International Fighter Conference 2012, taking place in the United Kingdom. The Air Chief is expected to present a paper at the event. All the participating production outfits are expected to be Western defense suppliers. His presentation, "Redefining The Role Of The Nigerian Air Force To Promote Internal And Regional Stability: Recent Fighter Upgrade And Maintenance Plans" included discussion of the role of Nigerian fighters in air to ground missions, recent successes using the Chengdu J-7 in air-to-ground missions, and prospects for utilising MB-339 and L-39 trainer aircraft for active missions.

By 2014 the NAF reactivated a number of its Alpha Jets. A total of 24 were acquired in the 1980s but several had been lost in crashes. Apparently 11 had been made flyable again by March 2015. The Nigerian Air Force had acquired at least two second hand Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet trainer and light attack aircraft as it continues to expand its aerial fleet.

A Nigerian army Alpha jet used in a victorious battle against the Boko Haram insurgents at Konduga on 13 September 2014 went missing. Due to the low altitude, the plane suffered significant damage from the terrorists’ gunfire. The jet came down in the heart of rebel-held territory, making search and rescue impossible.

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, claimed in a video that militants shot down the Alpha jet and showed wreckage of an aircraft which included the Nigerian Air Force’s green and white roundel. A man, wearing a camouflage print T-shirt and with a heavily bandaged hand in a sling, was seen later kneeling in front of an unmasked Boko Haram fighter in combat fatigues and saying in English that he was one of the pilots. He appeared to give his name, rank and date of birth but the video is inaudible. He was beheaded after he finished speaking.

Colonel Sambo Dakusi, Nigeria’s former National Security Adviser, was accused by President Muhamadu Buhari’s administration of grossly misappropriating funds allocated for contracts for the purchase of large military equipment. In total, he is accused of having diverted some two billion dollars, largely intended for use in the fight against Boko Haram. It was asserted that Dakusi made fake contracts and procured money for the sale of twelve Alpha jets and four helicopters, none of which was delivered.

Dakusi vehemently defended himself, saying that former President Goodluck Jonathan, under whom he served as National Security Advisor, approved all sales, and showing proof from military agencies of their receipt of the aircraft in question. He also claimed that the accusations against him are politically motivated, a common tactic in Nigerian politics.

In a memo to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), referenced NAF/905/D/CAS of November 28, 2014, the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Adesola Amosu acknowledged the receipt of the 4x Alpha jets attack aircraft and the helicopters.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said on 02 August 2015 it had successfully repelled an attack on Bita village, Borno State by the Boko Haram terrorist group in a combined effort with the ground troops of the Nigerian Army. “The Nigerian Air Force using its Alpha-Jet provided combat air support to the ground force to attack the insurgents where they were observed to be mopping up to carry out a deadly attack on the village. Consequently, a large number of the insurgents were killed and several others were injured,” Air Commodore Dele Alonge Director of Public Relations and Information Nigerian Air Force said in a statement.

Nigerian defense expenditure dropped sharply in 2014 along with the drop in oil prices, making affordability a critical consideration in any new NAF procurement. In April 2014, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Adesola Amosu told a press briefing that the NAF had selected a new combat aircraft. At that time, the Hongdu K-8 was considered to be a strong candidate given that Nigeria had already bought F-7NI and the K-8's suitability for supporting COIN operations.

Nigeria is considering acquiring the Textron AirLand Scorpion light strike and surveillance jet, a senior air force official disclosed on 18 November 2014. IHS Jane's Defence Weekly reported. The NAF will make its case to the government shortly, and that it hopes to acquire "a squadron's worth" of Scorpion aircraft initially, although this number may rise in the future. In January 2016, Nigerian federal budget document revealed that the country was buying three JF-17 Thunder fighters and 10 Super Mushshak aircraft. Pakistan's Super Mushshak, which the NAF ordered in June 2016, is an advanced version of Mushshak basic trainer, which is a license-built version of Swedish Saab Safari. These will accompany six Mi-35N assault helicopters and three EMB-314 Super Tucano close air support (CAS) aircraft from Russia and Brazil, respectively.

Chengdu Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17

Pakistan appears to have a second international customer for its domestically assembled Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 “Thunder” multirole fighter jet after Myanmar.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) was close to finalising an order for the purchase of one or two squadrons of the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft co-produced by Pakistan and China, IHS Jane's reported on 02 December 2014. Speaking at the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2014 in Karachi, the official said the NAF finalised its recommendation for the purchase of 25-40 JF-17s after NAF chief air marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu visited Pakistan in October 2014. AM Amosu's engagements in Pakistan included a visit to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) at Kamra, north of Islamabad, where the JF-17 is manufactured.

Nigeria will buy JF-17 Thunder multi-role combat aircraft from Pakistan, under a Novemer 2016 memorandum of understanding (MOU) that covers the sale of the aircraft. The deal was expected to be finalised in November, during the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar in Karachi. The total number of aircraft that Nigeria might be ordering was not known.

Nigeria's proposed 2018 budget document confirmed 17 January 2018 that Nigeria will obtain the Chengdu Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 fighter. The nation's 2018 budget allocation document indicates that N13.1 billion ($36 million) will be earmarked as partial payment for three JF-17s. The payment will also cover support equipment and spares. This made Nigeria the first buyer of the type to be officially named, although program officials have long said there is strong interest for the type in the developing world.

According to local media reports in late October 2018, the Pakistani government’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved a $184.3 million sovereign guarantee covering the delivery of three PAC/CAC JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to the Nigerian Air Force under a recently signed contract. This is the first confirmation that a contract between Pakistan and Nigeria for the procurement of JF-17 fighter jets has been concluded, although Flight Global reported earlier this year that the Nigerian 2018 defense budget included $36 million earmarked as partial payment for the three fighter jets.

A-29 Super Tucano

The US will sell aircraft to Nigeria for use against Boko Haram, despite concerns over human rights abuses committed by Nigeria security forces. Nigeria sought to purchase up to 12 Embraer A-29 Super Tucano aircraft with sophisticated targeting gear for nearly $600 million. The Nigerian air force had been accused of bombing civilian targets at least three times in recent years. The most recent bombing occurred on17 January 2017, the same day the Obama administration intended to notify Congress the sale would go forward. Instead, it was abruptly put on hold.

The Government of Nigeria requested on August 2, 2017 twelve (12) A-29 Super Tucano aircraft and weapons, including all associated training, spare parts, aviation and ground support equipment, and hangar, facilities, and infrastructure required to support the program. The estimated total case value is $593 million.

These aircraft will support Nigerian military operations against terrorist organization Boko Haram and to counter illicit trafficking in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea. The Super Tucano is a sustainable platform for counterterrorism, counter insurgency, border surveillance, and illicit trade interdiction operations. The proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy objectives by helping Nigeria to meet shared counterterrorism objectives for the region. This proposed sale will strengthen the U.S. security relationship with Africa's largest democracy. Nigeria will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support does not alter the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractor is the Sierra Nevada Corporation, headquartered in Centennial, Colorado. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

This request also includes the following Non-MDE: seven (7) AN/AAQ-22F Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Sensor and Laser Designators, Initial Spares, Readiness Spares Package, Consumables, Support Equipment, Technical Data, Repair and Return Start Printed Page 40759Support, Facilities infrastructure and hangar construction, Night Vision Devices (NVDs), Contract Logistics Services (CLS), Contractor Provided Familiarization and Training, USG Manpower and Services, Field Service Representatives, Training Services (pilot training, USAF training, early A-29 training, flight leader upgrade training, travel and living allowance, maintenance training, specialized training, computer-based training, night vision device training, human rights and international humanitarian law, and munitions training), Training Simulators, Air Worthiness Support, Forward Operating Base Facilities, Forward Operating Location Support, Ferrying, and Non-recurring Engineering. Additionally, all aircraft will include weapons software to support forward looking infrared sensors (FLIRs), ancillary system.

In the worst incident, a fighter jet on 17 January 2017 bombed a camp at Rann, near the border with Cameroon. Rann was one of the last towns retaken from the insurgents on March 22, 2016. Between 100 and 236 civilians and aid workers were killed, according to various counts. According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), around 90 people were killed when a Nigerian Air Force plane circled twice and dropped two bombs in the middle of the town of Rann, which hosts thousands of internally displaced people. At the time of the attack, an aid distribution was taking place. The majority of the victims were women and children. The tragedy in Rann too clearly illustrated the dire situation in Borno State, where extremely vulnerable people remain trapped in a cycle of daily violence between the Nigerian military and Boko Haram.

Military sources from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and Army said that on 01 January 2017 attempts by Boko Haram to attack the Nigerien border town of Rann in Borno State, were foiled with the killings of 15 insurgents by troops. Two weeks later, the Nigerian Air Force fighter jet that attacked the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Rann, Borno State on 17 January dropped bombs on the camp three times. The Air Force component of the Operation Lafiya Dole based on intelligence that the terrorists had infiltrated Rann with intent to attack, deployed the rockets. But the weapons mistakenly hit Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the town. Boko Haram extremists attacked the refugee camp just days after Nigeria's air force bombed it. Soldiers battled for hours to repel more than 100 Boko Haram fighters who attacked the camp in Rann in Borno state.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, said: “We will take note of this; the issue of coordination and passage of the right information will help to prevent such incident again. It is a mistake which can happen and it has happened in other places. We pray it never happen again.”

On February 06, 2019 Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and its partner, Embraer Defense & Security, were awarded a contract to deliver 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force. “SNC is proud to work with our partner, Embraer Defense & Security, to build A-29s in support of the Nigerian Air Force in addressing their training and security needs,” said Taco Gilbert, Senior Vice President of ISR, Aviation and Security (IAS) at SNC. “The combat-proven A-29 is designed and built for the mission in Nigeria. It’s the most reliable and cost-effective solution for basic and advanced flight and combat training, close air support operations, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), counterinsurgency and irregular warfare scenarios.”