# More helicopters coming to the Nigerian Air Force

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2017/07/more-helicopters-coming-to-the-nigerian-air-force/
- Published: 2017-07-10T00:36:00+01:00
- Author: Ekene Lionel

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It appears that the Nigerian Navy is in talks with the European helicopter manufacturer
Airbus to purchase at-least three units of the Airbus AS565MBe Panther light utility
helicopter for use on it’s naval vessels. 

The report is coming on the heels of the country’s loss of an Air Force Agusta 109
helicopter which was participating in a joint arms operations with the army. It 
is likely that the Nigerian Navy intends to use the Panther on it’s two Hamilton
class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) which was donated to the by the United States
Coast in 2013. It would primarily assist in the fight against piracy and oil smuggling
plaguing the country’s coastline.

The Airbus AS565MBe Panther is multi-role medium weight utility helicopter that 
can be used in a variety of roles such as anti-submarine warfare, MEDEVAC, troops
transport and search and rescue. The Nigerian Navy two Lynx MK89 that undertook 
those roles has been inoperable for  many years. The Navy also operates the AS365N2
Dauphin, AgustaWestland AW109E Power amongst others.

In a related news, The Nigerian Air Force expecting to receive an Mi-35P and a Dauphin
helicopter being reactivated in-country by the Aero Contractors in their facility
at the Air Forces’s 115 Special Operations Group (SOG) in Port Harcourt,

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