LAGOS — The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has successfully completed the local reassembly of its first two newly acquired H125 helicopters at the NAF Base in Ikeja, Lagos.
The milestone—achieved with direct technical support from Airbus technical personnel—marks a major operational shift aimed at building internal maintenance capacity, enhancing technological transfer, and deepening fleet sustainability within the service.
The two light utility rotary-wing aircraft form part of a batch of five new helicopters delivered to the NAF earlier in September, which included three Leonardo AW-109 Trekker B helicopters and two Airbus H125 platforms under the Federal Government’s fleet modernization drive.
Operational Value and Capacity Building
Speaking on the successful exercise, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, stated that the exercise reflects the NAF’s strategic commitment to moving beyond platform acquisition toward developing sustainable indigenous support systems.
“Beyond acquiring modern platforms, we are committed to developing the knowledge, partnerships, and support systems required to maximize their operational value and sustain them throughout their service life,” Air Marshal Aneke emphasized.
Key highlights of the local reassembly project include:
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Knowledge Transfer: NAF engineers and technicians gained hands-on practical exposure in assembling, maintaining, and certifying modern rotary-wing platforms alongside Airbus experts.
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Operational Deployment: The multi-role H125 helicopters are scheduled for immediate integration into ongoing internal security operations, providing air surveillance, tactical mobility, and casualty evacuation capabilities across volatile theaters.
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Cost Efficiency: Conducting assembly and preliminary checks locally at NAF Base Ikeja significantly reduces long-term maintenance overheads and establishes a baseline for routine depot-level maintenance in Nigeria.
Air Marshal Aneke commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continuous backing of the armed forces, noting that sustained funding for modern airpower assets remains vital to confronting evolving security threats across the geopolitical zones.
