SAN FRANCISCO, December 24, (THEWILL) – One of the 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets ordered from the United States will be delivered to Nigeria by June 2021.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar made this known during the inauguration of officers accommodation and a 1.3-kilometre road at NAF Base Kainji, Niger State.
He said the base is being positioned to receive and efficiently support the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft which is expected to arrive in the country towards the end of the second quarter of 2021.
Nigeria paid for the 12 Super Tucano and other weapons in April 2018, at a cost of $462million. The entire cost may rise to $593 million.
But the delivery of all the aircraft being built by Sierra Nevada Corporation in Jacksonville, Florida, will be in 2024.
The sale of the planes has been dogged by controversy. Under Barack Obama, the former U.S. president, the aircraft deal had been held off due to concerns about the Nigerian military’s human rights abuses.
But President Donald Trump’s administration approved the sale to support Nigeria’s efforts to fight Boko Haram militants.
The planes are needed to combat Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast of the country.
The contract to build them was announced by the U.S. Defence Department on 28 November and is worth $329m for the aircraft, although the total not-to-exceed amount is approved at $344.7m.
It will include Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) systems for six of the aircraft.
It also included Paveway II guided bombs, laser-guided rockets, 12.7 mm ammunition, unguided bombs and infrared sensors.
In addition to the 12 aircraft, the contract provides for ground training equipment, mission planning systems, mission debrief systems, spares, ground support equipment and support services.
The Nigerian Air Force in December 2017 received letters of offer and acceptance for the Super Tucano deal.
Based on an earlier request, Nigeria will be getting AN/AAQ-22F electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and laser designator turrets systems.
