The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday successfully test fired another locally weaponized Alpha Jet aircraft acquired from overseas without weapon delivery capability. The latest feat makes the third Alpha Jet aircraft to be so reconfigured and weaponised locally.
The NAF, at the heat of the Boko Haram insurgency, had acquired three Alpha Jet aircraft from private individuals in the United States however without combat capability. Subsequent efforts to use foreign vendors to re-militarise the aircraft proved abortive for several reasons.