The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, says the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has operationalised all its new and modern platforms to tackle terrorism and insurgency.
Amao said the new and modern air assets were instrumental to the feats being recorded against terrorists and insurgents.
He said the successes in the theatres of operation were also facilitated by the newly acquired JF-17 Thunder aircraft, the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft and the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles.
He made the assertions when he visited the Nigerian Air Force Institute of Safety and 209 Quick Response Group, Ipetu-Ijesa, Osun State.
Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Maigida Wapkerem, stated in Abuja on Saturday that the CAS emphasised that the military was winning the terrorism war with the aid of the modem platforms.
Amao acknowledged the fact that more still needed to be done to completely decimate and flush out the remnants of terrorists still preying on soft targets.
He warned that being complacent at this point would be harmful to on-going operations and called for more focus, vigilance and caution on the part of officers and men.
He said that the service was expecting the delivery of additional new platforms to further prosecute the war on terror.
He added that the air assets included two Beechcraft King Air 360, four Diamond DA-62 surveillance aircraft, three Wing Loong II UCAVs and six T-129 ATAK helicopters.
Amao said that there were on-going acquisitions of 12 Agusta 109 Trekker multi-role helicopters and 24 M-346 attack aircraft.
He added that some of the additional platforms were expected to be delivered to the service before the end of the first quarter of 2023.
These, he said, would further boost NAF’s air power deployments, projection capabilities and air combat training.
Commenting on the upcoming general elections, the CAS urged NAF personnel to remain apolitical, but to exercise their franchise which was the Constitutional right to vote for candidates of their choice.
“We must continue to maintain our integrity and neutrality as a service,’’ Amao stressed.
He urged NAF personnel to always ensure that public perception of NAF and of the Armed Forces of Nigeria remained positive and unblemished.
