Nigerian Air Force has received fi ve of the 10 Super Mushshak aircraft expected from Pakistan for fl ying training of NAF pilots at 401 Flying Training School, Kaduna. NAF inducted the Super Mushshak aircraft into the NAF inventory on 5 December 2016 following the approval by the Pakistan Government to temporarily make four Super Mushshak aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force available to the NAF, at no cost. Since then, the in-house training of NAF pilots had resumed in earnest. Air Offi cer Commanding Air Training Command, Air Vice Marshal Chris Okoye received the trainer aircraft in Kaduna. With the arrival of the fi rst batch of the NAF’s trainer aircraft, the local training of NAF student pilots will receive a boost at a much reduced cost, says NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Olatokunbo
Adesanya. Th e new aircraft is expected to be inducted into service after assembly and successful test fl ights. NAF has graduated another batch of 298 regiment personnel trained in special warfare by the British Military Assistance Training Team (BMATT). 235 of the graduands went through the Basic Regiment Airmen’s Course to enhance their capacity for airfi eld defence. Th e six-week special warfare course was aimed at developing the capacity of personnel in force protection in complex air ground environment. Some of the personnel also received classes on instructional techniques to enable them train other NAF personnel in special warfare. C
hief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, says during the graduation of the personnel the special warfare training was necessary to protect the limited resources available, including critical air assets, to undertake the NAF’s statutory responsibilities. He charged the graduating personnel to have respect for the rule of law and human rights in the discharge of their duties. Given the importance of bases in the air power delivery matrix, the training would enable the regiment personnel to respond to a wide range of situations that might threaten NAF bases across the country, says Sen. Aliyu Wakili, representative of Chairman Senate Committee on Air Force.
