Airforces

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

‘In association with...’

Air Training Command and the
Ground Training Command –
plus the renumbering of all NAF
commands and subordinate units.
Under the new scheme, NAF
HQ direct-reporting units fall
into a new 0XX series (formerly
100 series), TAC units take
100-series numbers (formerly
two-digit series), SOC units fall
into a 200 series, MC takes
300-series (previously 200-series)
numbers, Training Command
400 series (formerly 300
series) and Logistics Command
500 series (ex-400 series).

Direct Reporting Units
NAF HQ administers various
direct reporting units (DRUs).
They include 011 (ex-101)
Presidential Air Fleet (011
PAF), based at Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja;
013 Quick Response Force (013
QRF) at Minna; 015 Strategic
Intelligence Group (015 SIG); 041
(ex-105) Communications Depot
at Shasha in Lagos; 051 Personnel
Management Group (051 PMG);
053 NAF Camp Abuja; 055 NAF
Camp Lagos; 061 Aeromedical

Centre (061 AMC); NAF Hospital

Abuja (063 NAFH); and 081 Pay

and Accounting Group (081 PAG).

Others include the Air Force

Institute of Technology (AFIT)

at Kaduna; Aeronautical

Engineering and Technical

Services Ltd (AETSL), which

operates aircraft maintenance

centres; and the International

Helicopter Flying School (IHFS)

at Enugu, operating under

a public-private partnership

between the Nigerian Air

Force Holding Company

(NAFHC) and Triax Aviation.

Another direct reporting

unit, the National Air Defence

Corps (NADC), is still inchoate

several decades since its

formation – with unknown

(and probably very limited)

air defence capabilities.

Among the DRUs, 011 PAF is

a flying unit, while 013 QRF at

Minna is a special forces unit

training in hostage rescue and

counter-terrorist operations;

part of its instruction is being

delivered by the Royal Air Force

Regiment under the auspices

of British Military Advisory and

Training Team (BMATT) Nigeria.

The PAF, which operated 14 to

16 aircraft in 2014-15, has been

downsizing to cut costs, either

through the transfer of aircraft

to other units or aircraft sales.

In December 2015, it comprised

ten aircraft: single examples

of the Boeing 737BBJ (NAF 001

‘Eagle One’), Gulfstream GVSP

and GV, two Dassault Falcon

7Xs and a Hawker 4000 plus

two AgustaWestland AW139s

and a pair of AW101s.

The AW101s transferred to

the NAF in October 2016, while

Falcon 7X 5N-FGU and Hawker

4000 5N-FGX were put up for

sale in December. In March this

year the PAF fleet was thought

to comprise the two AW139s, the

BBJ, a Falcon 7X, a GVSP and a GV.

Tactical Air

Command

Administering all the NAF’s

fighting units and air base

support formations (known

as Base Services Groups or

BSGs), TAC is tasked with the

training and provision of all

the operational elements

required to fulfil the air

force’s combat mission.

Under recent organisational

changes, several TAC units

were upgraded to group status,

while other new units were

established – along with several

forward operating bases (FOBs)

which include 119 (ex-55) FOB

at Mabera (Sokoto) airport, 65

FOB at Badagry and 67 FOB at

Gombe. Another is planned for

Akwa Ibom Airport by 2017.

Other FOBs, on army bases

at Mubi, Bama and Monguno

in the northeast, are dedicated

helicopter facilities supporting

operations against Boko Haram.

In February this year, the then

Chief of Training and Operations,

Air Vice-Marshal Abdullahi Iya,

announced the facilities at

Monguno were being upgraded

to accommodate combat

helicopters deployed for counter-

insurgency (COIN) operations.

TAC meanwhile also operates

the NAF air-to-ground range

at Kwenev, near Makurdi.

Special Operations

Command

Air Marshal Abubakar

revealed Special Operations

Command’s existence in

January last year. It became

operational on September

23, with its headquarters at

251 NAF Base, Bauchi.

According to the CAS, its task

is to facilitate “the development

of the NAF’s response capability

in both internal and external

security operations”. SOC

will also become responsible

for base defence and force

protection of NAF assets.

At least 6,000 NAF Regiment

troopers are required to man

these units, according to NAF

sources. Consequently, there’s

F-7NI 806 is one of 12 fi ghters and three FT-7NI trainers acquired in 2009-10 to replace a large fl eet of grounded MiG-21

and Jaguar fi ghters. It is operated by 101 Air Defence Group ‘Tigers’. NAF

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #354 SEPTEMBER 2017 // 51

Above: AS332M1 Super Puma NAF 565 in Kaduna during a training exercise with

NAF Regiment troopers. This aircraft, along with NAF 567, was refurbished by

Eurocopter Romania in 2012 and was returned to service with 205 Rotary Group

in Ikeja. NAF Left: A collection of NAF aircraft including ‘old’ Alpha Jet 461,

‘new’ Alpha Jet 474, a King Air ISR platform and an AW109 LUH staging through

the military airfi eld at New Bussa, Kainji prior to their Gambia deployment in

January. NAF