By Kazeem Waris
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has recorded more than 2,900 sorties and 6,100 flying hours in combat and other air operations between November 2025 and September 2026, as Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, approaches his first anniversary in office.
The operations, which consumed nearly 10 million litres of Jet A-1 aviation fuel, involved precision air strikes, armed reconnaissance, surveillance and close air support, among other missions aimed at degrading hostile elements and strengthening the effectiveness of ground forces.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this on Sunday while outlining the service’s operational achievements and reforms under Aneke, who marks one year in office on October 30, 2026.
He said the achievements spanned combat operations, personnel welfare, training, aircraft acquisition, infrastructure development, safety management and efforts to strengthen indigenous aviation capabilities.
According to Ejodame, the service’s transformation agenda is anchored on Aneke’s command philosophy of sustaining a highly motivated, professional and mission-ready force capable of delivering decisive airpower in synergy with surface forces.
He said the NAF had prioritised intelligence-led mission planning, with operations guided by actionable intelligence, defined objectives and assessments of mission outcomes.
“The emphasis remains on ensuring that every sortie serves a clear operational purpose and contributes meaningfully to national security,” he said.
On personnel welfare, Ejodame said Aneke had placed the wellbeing of officers and airmen at the centre of his leadership approach, captured in the principle of “Welfare for Enhanced Warfare”.
He said the service had pursued improvements in personnel allowances, medical support and accommodation, alongside infrastructure development to improve living and working conditions across its formations.
The NAF had also reactivated welfare airlift services for personnel serving in frontline operational theatres, he added.
Ejodame said 57 senior officers were promoted to the ranks of Air Vice Marshal and Air Commodore, while 1,534 senior non-commissioned officers and 1,936 non-commissioned officers advanced to higher ranks during the period.
He added that more than 550 personnel participated in international training and professional engagements, while over 6,000 received training locally to strengthen technical expertise, specialised skills and leadership capacity.
On fleet modernisation, the spokesman said the NAF received five additional helicopters in September, comprising three AW-109 Trekker Type B helicopters and two H125 helicopters.
He said the service was also pursuing an acquisition programme that includes 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters, alongside other planned aircraft and unmanned aerial systems to enhance combat, airlift, training, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Maintenance and fleet regeneration efforts included the reactivation and upgrade of six L-39ZA aircraft in Slovakia and Nigeria, as well as ongoing Periodic Depot Maintenance of a C-130 aircraft in Portugal.
Ejodame said the service was strengthening operational accountability and aviation safety through the establishment of an Operational and Safety Audit Committee and improvements to its Safety Management System.
The measures, he said, were intended to promote independent assessments of operational, engineering and armament units, improve risk management and strengthen a data-driven safety culture.
He added that the NAF was advancing Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response through dedicated structures, standardised training and improved assessment and investigation capabilities.
Plans to establish an Open-Source Intelligence Centre were also underway to improve situational awareness and operational planning through better use of available information and emerging technologies.
On infrastructure, Ejodame disclosed that 284 projects had been approved, with 145 completed and 139 ongoing.
The projects cover residential accommodation, academic and medical facilities, administrative and operational infrastructure, roads, electricity, water supply and recreational facilities.
He said the service was also pursuing local production initiatives involving Aircraft Release Device 863 impulse release cartridges, a 250-kilogram bomb-loading trolley and locally produced 57-millimetre rockets, which had undergone ground testing.
According to him, community-focused healthcare, educational and other special projects had also continued as part of efforts to strengthen civil-military relations and public confidence.
As Aneke approaches his first anniversary, Ejodame said the NAF remained focused on translating investments in personnel, aircraft, training, technology and infrastructure into improved operational readiness and effectiveness.
He said the service would continue to pursue stronger joint operations, strategic partnerships, improved maintenance and professional development to address Nigeria’s evolving security challengest
