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Tony John, Port Harcourt
Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has unveiled an EC-35 helicopter NAF 549, reactivated at the 115 Special Operations Group, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Air Marshal Abubakar, who was in Port Harcourt at the weekend, said the unveiling signified the substantial progress NAF has made in its bid to continually build capacity to cope with technological advancements in the field of military aviation, and further, prosecute the various ongoing operations in the country.
Abubakar noted that the addition of the newly re-activated EC-135 helicopter would be a force multiplier in the effort of the NAF to secure the lives and property of Nigerians, as well as protect the territorial integrity of the nation. He explained that the in-country reactivation has enabled the transfer of required skills and expertise to NAF technicians, thereby helping the Force build additional capacity to sustain its operations, adding that the Service recently approved the training of 10 helicopter pilots by Cobham Helicopter in the United Kingdom.
“We have also commenced the tactical training of NAF helicopter pilots at the 405 Helicopter Combat Training Group (405 HCTG) Enugu, in order to build their capacity to function more effectively in complex air and ground environments,” he added.
The CAS, however, expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari, for the priority given to NAF’s efforts in maintaining its platforms and equipment, as well as the support given to acquire new platforms like the A-29 Super Tucano, JF-17 fighter aircraft, Mi-35M, Augusta A-109 Power and AW-139 helicopters.
