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US Completes Sale Of Super Tucano Warplane To Nigeria

FILE PHOTO of the Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano (A-29) Trainer / Counter-Insurgency / Light Attack / Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft. SOURCE: militaryfactory.com

United States (US) ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington on Wednesday presented Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for the planned sale of the A29 Super Tucano Aircraft.

The LOA according to the Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, in a statement made available to Channels Television represents the official US Government offer to sell US defence articles and services to the Nigerian Government.

The US Government earlier this year approved the sale of 12 x A-29 Super Tucano Aircraft to NAF with its parts and weapons to further aid the nation’s counterinsurgency campaign. The attack aircraft is said to be worth $593million. The deal includes supplying the Nigerian armed forces with ammunition, training and aircraft maintenance.

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During the presentation of the LOA to the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, at NAF Headquarters in Abuja, the US Ambassador noted that peaceful existence in Nigeria was strategic to the security of the entire West African Sub-Region and the entire world at large.

Air Marshal Abubakar, while receiving the LOA, appreciated the US Government for its steady support towards sustaining NAF air operations.

The CAS assured the US Ambassador that the NAF would ensure the readiness of proposed home base of the Super Tucano Aircraft in Nigeria before the aircraft’s delivery. He said the NAF would nominate and prepare all the pilots and maintenance crew to be trained on the Super Tucano Aircraft, ahead of their training in the US.

“It is expected that the LOA would have been signed and necessary payments made before February 20, 2018, to ensure the commencement of production of the NAF’s Super Tucano Aircraft,” he said.

The US Ambassador, Symington said that the US Government is committed to helping Nigeria completely defeat Boko Haram terrorists and also eliminate all forms of terrorism from its territory.

The US Ambassador also indicated the readiness of relevant US Government officials to work with NAF officials to facilitate the early delivery of the aircraft once payment had been made.

In that regard, officials of both the US Government and the NAF would be meeting in early January 2018 to jointly study the LOA prior to subsequent endorsements by both parties.

Ronke Sanya Idowu

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