July 24, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Air force (NAF) and its Turkish counterpart, the Turkish Air Force (TurAF), have expressed willingness to collaborate on defence technology, in order to enhance their operational efficiency in the fight against terrorism.
A statement issued on Saturday, by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the deal was struck by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, during a 5-day official visit to the Commander of the Turkish Air Force (TurAF), General Hasan Kucukakyuz .
The statement added that Amao and his Turkish counterpart also emphasised the need for Nigeria and Turkey to share their experiences on the use of unmanned aircraft systems in counterterrorism operations.
This, according to them, would enable strategic synergy and enhance proficiency with renewed commitment to wipe out terrorism.
While appreciating Turkish military experience in counter-terrorism operations, which spanned over a decade, Air Marshal Amao stated that Turkey was able to achieve operational successes against terrorists due to the usage of the right military equipment.
“Turkey has succeeded in developing a robust defence industrial sector capable of meeting up to a significant percentage of critical requirements of her armed forces and other security agencies”, he said.
Air Marshal Amao, therefore, called for greater collaborations with the Turkish Air Force Command, even as he said, the NAF appreciates the existing cooperation in the areas of training and extension of invitation for NAF personnel to participate in some of the TurAF international military exercises.
He requested more support from the TurAF in the areas of upgrade and modernisation of platforms, air defence training, special forces training, as well as training slots in information communication technology for NAF personnel.
Speaking further, Air Marshal Amao noted that the 2 countries could greatly benefit from military student exchange training programmes, as the consideration would enhance critical understanding of the 2 countries’ security environments and deepen greater cooperation. While reiterating the need for strong collaboration in defence technology, the CAS stated that the signing of the Defence Industry Cooperation Agreement by the 2 countries offered a greater opportunity for the NAF and TurAF to work more closely together.
In his remarks, the Commander, TurAF, General Hasan Kucukakyuz noted that the Turkish Air Force is willing to deepen cooperation with the NAF by assisting the Service in any area that could ultimately strengthen its operational capabilities. He stated that the NAF would, from now, fully participate in its international military exercises, including ANATOLIA Eagle.
General Hasan promised to liaise with the NAF and assist in all areas of military cooperation with other Services in Turkey, as well as defence procurement concerns. The 2 air chiefs agreed to fashion out modalities that would enable a meeting between officers of the 2 air forces to outline areas of comprehensive cooperation that could be of mutual value to both sides.
During the 5-day visit, the CAS toured some prominent Turkish defence companies to identify possible defence products that could be required by the NAF. These include Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Aselsan, Havelsan, Manatek, BNW Group, Fly BVLOS, Airways Group, and Express Technics. He also paid a courtesy call on the Nigerian Ambassador Extraordinaire Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency ,Ismail Yusuf Abba.
Air Marshal Amao was accompanied on the visit by the Chief of Logistics, Air Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, and Director of Operations, Air Vice Marshal Nnamdi Ananaba, from Headquarters Nigerian Air Force.
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