Nigerian, Egyptian Air Chiefs Meet in Cairo, Renew Agenda on Pilot Training, Research & Development

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, and his Egyptian counterpart, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Foaad Abd El-Gawad, have pledged to enhance cooperation and collaboration between their Air Forces, particularly in pilot training and Research and Development (R&D).

The commitment was made on 4 September 2024, when General El-Gawad hosted Air Marshal Abubakar at his office in Cairo, Egypt.

According to a statement by Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), AVM Edward Gabkwet, “both leaders acknowledged the rich history of training collaboration between their Air Forces, which they agreed should be further leveraged—especially by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), which has previously benefited from the training of around 50 pilots by the Egyptian Air Force (EAF).

“The two chiefs also explored opportunities for collaboration in R&D, particularly concerning NAF’s Alpha jets. It was agreed that the EAF would send a delegation to Nigeria to assess the Alpha jets, with the goal of undertaking an overhaul of the aircraft in conjunction with NAF engineers. The visiting team would also evaluate the possibility of conducting in-house tactical training for NAF pilots to enhance their proficiency.

“During the visit, Air Marshal Abubakar also attended the Egypt International Air Show at El-Alamein International Airport. There, he held discussions with Aero Vodochody Aerospace, a Czech aircraft manufacturer of the L-39NG aircraft—one of the aircraft in NAF’s inventory—along with CATIC, the manufacturers of the Wing Loong Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, and Ariegsa, an Egyptian company known for providing tailored solutions for high-level needs and integrating defense and attack systems across diverse platforms.

“Ariegsa is particularly renowned for its expertise in manufacturing aircraft simulators. As a result, the NAF signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the company to construct a simulator for each aircraft type in the NAF Order of Battle. It was also agreed that the simulators would be built in Nigeria in collaboration with NAF engineers to facilitate knowledge transfer.”

The statement noted that “joining the CAS on the trip were the Director of Training, Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Idris, and the Commander of the 301 Heavy Airlift Group, Air Commodore Adebayo Bamidele.”