Defence minister inspects NAF helicopters, fighter jets production in Italy

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, recently inspected the production of new Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft and helicopters at the Leonardo S.p.A facilities in Northern Italy.¹

Key Details of the Inspection

The visit, which was part of the Minister’s official trip accompanying President Bola Tinubu to the AQABA Process meeting, focused on two main NAF acquisition programs:²

1. AW109 Trekker Attack Helicopters³

• Location: Leonardo Helicopters Division in Vergiate.⁴
• Order Status: The Minister reviewed the assembly of ten AW109 Trekker attack helicopters.⁵
• Delivery Timeline:
  • Three units are fully completed and ready for acceptance and delivery.⁶
  • Three more are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.⁷
  • The remaining four are scheduled for delivery in early 2026.⁸

2. M-346 Fighter Attack Jets⁹

• Location: Leonardo Aircraft Division in Venegono.¹⁰
• Order Status: The Minister was briefed on the production of M-346 Fighter Attack Jets.¹¹ Nigeria has reportedly ordered a total of twenty-four of these aircraft.¹²
• Production Progress: Six of the jets are at advanced stages of production, with three already undergoing flight tests.¹³
• Delivery Plan: The full order will be delivered in four tranches of six aircraft each, complete with armaments, support equipment, tools, spare parts, and comprehensive training and logistics support.¹⁴

Minister Abubakar expressed his satisfaction with the quality and progress of the aircraft production, noting that the new acquisitions are central to the administration’s commitment to modernizing the armed forces and significantly boosting Nigeria’s aerial combat and surveillance capabilities.¹⁵