Insurgency: Air Force Looks Inwards Towards Building Capacity, Production of Platforms, Equipment

Chiemelie Ezeobi

Given the economic downturn of Nigeria, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said on Saturday that it has decided to look inwards in building capacity and a culture of self-reliance especially as regards its continuous fight against insurgency in the North-east.

Through the command Inter-Unit Research and Development (R&D) competition organised by the Standards and Evaluations unit of the NAF, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar said he hopes to use R&D to curb foreign reliance for platforms and equipment.

While the Commander, 401 Aircraft Maintenance Depot, Air Commodore Emmanuel Wonah, built the aircraft engine compressor washing machine and mobile hydraulic cart, the Commander, 403 Communications Group, Captain Ayodele Hanidu built a tech firing range equipment.

In his speech, the Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal Muhammadu Muhammed, said: “I wish to state emphatically that the technological development of a nation is a key component of its national power.

“Therefore, the application of relevant R&D in a nation’s defence equipment maintenance and operation guarantees the requisite equipment needed to maintain the competitive edge in battle.

‘’In reality, the economic downturn, which had negatively affected funding of the NAF, has made it increasingly difficult to maintain the array of NAF platforms relying on foreign partners.

“This situation has necessitated the NAF To look inwards on how to keep our platforms operation, especially in the face of current security challenges. To actualise this, NAF is partnering many governmental and private institutions on R&D.”

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