http://www.airforcesmonthly.com‘In association with...’- Special Mobility Group
at Calabar (its planned
complement of Mi-17/171s
has yet to be assigned) and
209 Executive Airlift Group
(EAG) at Abuja, with around
four King Air 350i turboprops
and a handful of executive
transports, including a Falcon.
The EAG may have been
renumbered as 310 EAG, but this
can’t be confirmed; neither can
a scheduled move to Minna.
Meanwhile it’s unclear if 205
Rotary Group, with one or two
Super Pumas at Ikeja, is still
active. If so, its new numerical
designation is unconfirmed.
Training Commands
In mid-July this year, as part
of its restructuring exercise
the NAF announced it had
split its long-standing Kaduna-
based Training Command
into two distinct entities – an
Air Training Command (ATC),
headquartered in Kaduna, and
the Ground Training Command
(GTC), headquartered in Enugu.
No more information has been
released other than the planned
establishment of a Central Flying
School in Katsina, according
to Air Marshal Abubakar.
After a decade of sporadic
flying training activities, the
NAF has now resumed regular
programmes. Primary flying
training is normally conducted at
401 (ex-301) Flying Training School
(FTS) at Kaduna, relocating to
Makurdi when seasonal weather
conditions preclude flying.
The unit also delivers conversion
training on the Do 228, while
its UAV Wing, in conjunction
with the Air Force Research and
Development Centre (AFRDC),
trains drone operators.
By July this year, UAV
operations had resumed after
a break of seven months and
two grounded training UAVs –
Chinese-built Mugin 300 series
vehicles – had been reactivated
by the AFRDC in Kaduna.
The NAF says that since the
commencement of in-house UAV
flying training, nine officers have
been trained and subsequently
deployed for operational duties,
although a news report from
July 13 says 13 officers have
been trained as UAV operators.
On December 5 last year, 401
FTS began conversion to the
Pakistani-built Super Mushshak
(SMK) aircraft, which it operates
alongside five DA40 NGs (and
a simulator). These SMKs
entered service in batches
from March 2015 into 2016.
Four Super Mushshaks on loan
from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF)
are in use at Kaduna pending theassembly and commissioning
of new-build aircraft whose
deliveries began in July.
With its aerobatic capability
and electronic flight instrument
system (EFIS) cockpit, the SMK
was ultimately meant to replace
the DA40, although there are
recent indications that the NAF
may “buy more”, according to
the local dealer for the type.
This suggests a rethink about the
DA40, which may complement the
Super Mushshaks. It seems the
large fleet of locally assembled
Van’s RV-6/6As, known as ABT-18
Air Beetles, is no longer in service.
The first batch of four SMK
instructor pilots (IPs), trained
under PAF tutelage, graduated
from 401 FTS on March 2. The
NAF simultaneously announced
that the graduation marked
the type’s final handover, since
Nigerian pilots could now
deliver ab initio training on the
aircraft, and early in March, 30
students, including 18 in a first
batch, had been selected tobegin training with the new IPs.
On completion of primary
instruction, pilots destined for
further training locally go on
to basic flying training on the
L-39ZA with 403 FTS at Kano.
Between 1987 and 2006, the
school ran three IP courses,
producing 14 graduates.
Since then, two further
courses have created 21 more
IPs, the most recent, in 2016,
training a squadron leader
and three flight lieutenants.
Each new IP averaged 113
hours of course flying on the
L-39ZA through front-seat
conversion, rear-seat proficiency
and instructional phases.
The unit formally set up as 303
FTS in 1985, its initial L-29 Delfin
equipment giving way to the
L-39ZA from November 1986.
Between 1985 and early 2016, it
completed basic flying courses
(BFCs) for 164 pilots, alongside
the 21 NAF IPs and small
numbers of others for the air
forces of Ghana and Zimbabwe.Above: ATR 42 MPAs have seen extensive use as overland ISR and airborne command platforms in the operations against
Boko Haram. NAF 930, which was grounded for around two years at Yola after an unspecified accident, re-entered
service in late 2016 or early 2017 painted in desert camouflage. NAF 931, seen here, retains its grey and orange scheme.
Left: The Boeing BBJ presidential transport, also known as ‘Eagle One’, is operated by 011 (ex-101) Presidential Air Fleet
out of Abuja. Though the PAF reports directly to NAF HQ, its operating budget is separate from that of the NAF.Above: King Air 350i NAF 203 is one of three aircraft acquired in 2014 without electro-optical equipment. It was
originally planned to use them as maritime patrol aircraft in the restive oil-producing Delta region. Since then at least
two aircraft – NAF 202 and 204 – have been fitted with what appears to be FLIR Systems EO kit. NAFhttp://www.airforcesmonthly.com #354 SEPTEMBER 2017 // 53