The Federal Government has handed over three Agusta Westland 109 Trekker (AW) Helicopters to the Nigerian Navy to boost operational capability.
The helicopters were handed over to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kanna, at a brief ceremony in Lagos on Tuesday.
According to a statement by the Navy’s spokesman, Commodore Aiwuyor Aliu-Adams, on Wednesday, November 13, the AW 109 helicopter was “designed with auxiliary tanks which gives it extended endurance of up to 3 hrs 40 mins,” thus suitable for long range transport flights.
He said: “Furthermore, the helicopter is designed with a landing skid which gives it a better loading capacity compared to wheeled helicopters.
“The helicopters could also be retrofitted with purpose built mission equipment.
“It has a purpose-built VIP configuration with full leather and noise attenuation system.”
Commodore Aliu-Adams said that the CNS thanked President Bola Tinubu for his “unflinching support” to the Armed Forces and the Nigerian Navy.
“He also expressed gratitude to both the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence for facilitating the acquisition of the helicopters to boost the Nigerian Navy’s operations,” he said.
(The Nation)
