NAF targets local spare parts production — Air Chief

The Nigerian Air Force has affirmed that most of the spare part needed in aircraft maintenance would be produced by its Research and Development Center.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who made the disclosure at the closing of a 2-day Air Engineering Conference in Kaduna over the weekend, said if the resolutions of the conference are implemented, most of the spare parts needed by the NAF will be produced by the Center.

Represented by the Chief of Policy and Plan NAF Headquarters, AVM Isiaka Amao at the conference themed, ‘Building Capacity for Self-Reliance in Aircraft/ Armament Engineering for Enhanced Air Power Delivery in the NAF’, he acknowledged the efforts to enhance the operational capability of the air force as well as improve aircraft serviceability.

“We have achieved between 75 percent to 82 percent serviceability of aircrafts in our inventory and hopefully, with this conference and the implementation of the resolutions, we should be looking at 85 to 95 per cent serviceability, which will boil down to improvement of the NAF operational capability and enhance fight against insurgency.

“There is no gainsaying that the success of any Air Force depends largely on the air engineering specialty, tasked with ensuring aircraft readiness for deployment at any time. Air Engineering is the bedrock of aviation and it involves the performance of tasks required to ensure the continuing airworthiness of aircraft and armament systems,” he further affirmed.

He explained that in addressing the current security challenges, the NAF must put together a carefully planned strategy not only covering maintenance of platforms but also to be selfreliant in the maintenance of all its air assets.