Air force conducts daily missions in Northeast
Nigerian Air Force fighter jets conduct daily missions in the fight against insurgents in the Northeast, spokesman of the Force, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya has said.
Speaking to Daily Trust on the cost of fuelling aircrafts on the Air Force Component of the Operation Lafiya Dole in the Northeast, Adesanya said the counter insurgency effort is a daily mission.
The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed while defending the proposed spending of $1 billion on the fight against Boko Haram said government spends N15 million daily on fuelling aircrafts used to prosecute the war.
Adesanya said the Air Force missions; include bombardment of Boko Haram targets, flying Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, liaison missions and armed racce missions.
These liaison missions include transporting commanding officers, personnel, logistic transport for troops such as food, fuel and medical excavation.
He said it also included Air lift of Internally Displaced Persons.
He explained that the cost of fuelling was always on the average depending on the number of sorties per day, noting that for the Alpha jet, the consumption of the Jet A1 fuel could be estimated to about 16 to 20 thousand litres daily.
He said this was apart from the F17 fighter jets, the beachcraft and the MI7 helicopter among others.
Nigeria to pay $593m for US fighter jets February
The Nigerian Air Force yesterday said the United States had agreed to sell fighter planes to Nigeria, to fight Boko Haram.
The sale of the 12 A29 Super Tucano aircraft, with weapons and services, is worth $593 million.
According to Reuters, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria presented the letters of offer and acceptance, the official agreement to make the sale, to the Nigerian air force earlier on yesterday, the air force statement said.
The agreements are expected to be signed and necessary payments made before February 20, the statement said, adding that the U.S. State Department has already approved the sale. (Reuters)