The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, have travelled to Turkey to facilitate the speedy delivery of T-129 ATAK helicopters to the Nigerian Air Force.
The Director, Public Relations and Information at NAF, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said, in a statement on Sunday, that two of the six units of T-129 ATAK helicopters procured by the Federal Government from the Turkish Aerospace Industry would be delivered in the coming weeks.
The remaining four helicopters are expected to be delivered before the end of the second quarter of 2024.
According to the NAF spokesman, the defence minister held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Lt. Gen. Yasar Guler (retd.), on critical bilateral and defence cooperation between the two countries.
Gabkwet said the Turkish defence minister promised Nigeria all the support required from the Turkish military and defence companies to accelerate the defeat of terrorism and other criminal challenges in Nigeria.
He stated also that Badaru and Abubakar visited selected Turkish companies, including Turkish Aerospace Industries, MKE, Aselsan, and Roketsan, in their quest for collaboration.
“These companies are among the highly-rated global defence companies renowned for the production of quality defence and military equipment.
“While at these companies, the Minister of Defence called for improved synergy between the companies and Nigeria through the transfer of defence technology to Nigeria,’’ Gabkwet stated.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Navy has said it will take delivery of the Nigerian Navy 2 x 76m, 1200 Tons High Endurance Offshore Patrol Vessel by September 2024.
The Navy’s Director of Information, Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The Navy had signed a contract with Dearsan Shipyard, Turkey, for the construction of two units of 76m HE OPV on November 3, 2021, and the keel ceremony of the two ships, which signified the commencement of their construction, took place on September 16, 2022.
The launching ceremony for the vessel was done on October 26, 2023, at the Dearsan Shipyard, Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Navy spokesman said the installation of the vessel was expected to be done between January and May 2024.
“Other expectations include conducting harbour acceptance test for the ship between July and August 2024 and delivery of the ship in August 2024 or September 2024. It is also planned that the launching ceremony of the second 76m HE OPVP 204 will be held in February 2024 at the Dearsan Shipyard, Turkey,” Ayo-Vaughan said.
He quoted the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, as saying that the arrival of the vessels would complement the fight against oil theft, among others.
