By Isiaka Mustapha, Editor-in-Chief, People’s Security Monitor

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has successfully completed the local reassembly of its first two H125 helicopters at NAF Base Ikeja in Lagos, marking a significant milestone in the Service’s drive to enhance indigenous technical expertise and operational readiness.

The helicopters were recently delivered by Airbus and reassembled locally by NAF personnel with technical support from Airbus specialists. According to the Air Force, the exercise represents a major step in strengthening technical collaboration, promoting knowledge transfer and improving the practical skills of its engineers and technicians in the maintenance and support of modern rotary wing aircraft.

The NAF stated that the successful reassembly underscores its commitment to building local capacity and reducing dependence on external support for the maintenance of critical air assets.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, described the achievement as a significant advancement in the Air Force’s efforts to strengthen its technical and operational capabilities.

According to him, the focus of the NAF extends beyond the acquisition of modern aircraft to the development of the expertise, partnerships and support systems required to maximise the operational value of its platforms and ensure their long term sustainability.

Air Marshal Aneke noted that building indigenous maintenance capacity remains critical to enhancing fleet availability and improving mission effectiveness across various operational theatres.

The newly reassembled H125 helicopters are expected to provide additional support for ongoing air operations, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, tactical mobility operations and other essential air support tasks.

The Air Force also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his administration’s continued support for the modernisation of the nation’s air assets, noting that the government’s investment in security infrastructure has contributed significantly to strengthening the NAF’s operational effectiveness and overall combat readiness.

The successful reassembly of the helicopters further demonstrates the growing capacity of the Nigerian Air Force to manage and sustain sophisticated aviation platforms locally, in line with its broader objective of enhancing national security and self reliance in defence operations.