UPDATED: $496m Super Tucano Fighter Jets: Six To Arrive Mid-July 2021 – Presidency

BIGPENNGR recalls that the purchase of the fighter jets became controversial sometime in 2018 after President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to seek National Assembly approval before purchasing the $496m super Tucano fighter jets.

However, the presidency on Thursday said that six of the Super Tucanos came off the production line in Jacksonville Florida and are now being equipped and flight tested.

Shehu Garba, senior special assistant to the president, in a statement said that additional six of the jets would come out shortly after ward saying, ” There are 14 Nigerian pilots currently training at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia”.

“Nigerian pilots and maintenance personnel are training on these planes. Currently, the construction is ongoing, which will house the aircraft. The Air-Ground-Integration school is the training hub on targeting and minimization of civilian casualties.

“At present, five Nigerian Super Tucanos are at Moody AFB in Georgia for pilot and maintainer training. The two companies released images of the sixth aircraft, which also will be flown to Moody, in a jungle camouflage scheme.

“The painted jungle scheme NAF A-29 now moves on to mission modification at Moody Air Force Base,” says SNC. “Following modification, before delivery, NAF pilots and maintenance personnel will further train in the aircraft.”

In November 2018, SNC was awarded a $329 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the US government to build 12 A-29s for the Nigerian air force.

The armed turboprops are intended for use against Boko Haram and Islamic State militants.