The injection of the six newly arrived A-29 Super Tucano jets that were procured will certainly raise the tempo of the ongoing counter-terrorism war in the Northeast, Military sources have disclosed.
Another batch of six of the fighter jets will be delivered by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, as the military continues with the bombardment of terrorists and bandits’ enclaves, which has forced members of the terror groups to surrender to troops in large numbers that suggest that the end of the over a decade of bloodletting, the new jets are yet to go into action.
They are still in a Military facility in Kano, awaiting induction into the Nigerian Air Force fleet.
Responding to an inquiry by The Nation, Director Public Relations and Information Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the jets will be deployed at the appropriate time.
He said: “Recall that on 15 July, the NAF announced the arrival of the first batch of 6 Tucanos into Nigeria via Kano. So what matters most is that the 6 aircraft are presently in Nigeria.
“The six aircraft will be deployed by the NAF at the most appropriate time. A lot of planning and meeting up to other needs and requirements is taken into consideration when deploying such machines. Good thing is that the other platforms in NAF inventory have continued to live up to expectations on the battlefield.
“A date for the induction will be announced soon”.
