Photo: The A-29 Super Tucano fighter Aircraft
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says the first batch of 6 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft have departed the United States of America enroute Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement issued by Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force.
According to the statement, the 6 aircraft will be leapfrogged through 5 countries including Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Algeria before arriving their final destination in Nigeria towards the end of July 2021.
It further said that an official induction ceremony of the aircraft into the inventory of the Nigerian Air Force is already being planned at a later date in August 2021 to be announced in due course.
The statement added that the office of the Director of Public Relations and Information remains open to any inquiry regarding the arrival and induction of the aircraft.
It also urged the press to kindly assist in disseminating the information for the awareness of the general public.
Periscope International gathered that The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, also named ALX or A-29, is a Brazilian turboprop light attack aircraft designed and built by Embraer as a development of the Enbraer EMB 312 Tucano.
The A-29 Super Tucano carries a wide variety of weapons, including precision-guided munitions, and was designed to be a low-cost system operated in low-threat environments.
Nigeria is said to have no fewer than five of it already, so taking delivery of additional six will be a big boost for its current fight against banditry, kidnappings and terrorism.
