The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has expressed dissatisfaction with the heavy reliance on foreign countries for aircraft and spare parts.
Abubakar, who recalled his time as the Commander of the 101 Presidential Air Fleet, stated that there are significant constraints associated with the high dependency on imported aircraft spares and equipment to sustain flight operations.
Speaking at the 2024 NAF Research and Development Retreat in Abuja on Tuesday, he noted that only by developing indigenous capacity for aircraft manufacturing and spare parts production through research and development can the service reduce its dependency on foreign military products.
He added that the Nigerian Air Force is rapidly building the necessary capacity to sustain the operation and maintenance of 50 brand-new aircraft expected to be added to its fleet between December 2024 and 2026.
He noted that the service had commenced the construction of unmanned aerial vehicles and rocket launchers, among other projects
