The Presidency has said six of the 12 Super Tucano fighter aircraft purchased by the Federal Government will arrive in the country by July 2021.
Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant To The President On Media And Publicity, announced this in a statement on Thursday.
“Six of the twelve Super Tucanos are on track to arrive in mid-July 2021. With the remaining six shortly after that. There are 14 Nigerian pilots currently training at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.
“The Super Tucanos came off the production line in Jacksonville Florida and are now being equipped and flight tested. Nigerian pilots and maintenance personnel are training on these planes. Currently, the construction is ongoing, which will house the aircraft.
“In November 2018, SNC was awarded a $329 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the US government to build 12 A-29s for the Nigerian air force. The armed turboprops are intended for use against Boko Haram and Islamic State militants.
“The Air-Ground-Integration school is the training hub on targeting and minimization of civilian casualties,” the statement read.
The presidential spokesman made the statement 24 hours after Isiaka Amao, Chief of Air Staff, said the armed forces are prepared to flush out bandits.
Nigeria is currently going through one of its most trying times in history.
From insurgency in the northeast to banditry in the northwest and other forms of challenges in different parts of the country, the aircraft are expected to boost the efforts of security operatives to contain insecurity.
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