"additional expected aircraft"
NAF announces planned additions: 12 Aksungur UAVs and six more T129 ATAK helicopters
On 25 October the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) published an anniversary statement and infographic listing up to 67 new manned and unmanned aircraft it expects to receive as part of its fleet development plans. The list places 12 Aksungur unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and six additional T129 ATAK attack helicopters — both from Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ) — under the heading the NAF described as "additional expected aircraft." The six further T129s are listed on top of six T129s already delivered in 2024, which would increase the service’s T129 fleet to 12 if the new helicopters are acquired.
The catalog: types and quantities named by the NAF
The anniversary disclosure sets out specific types and quantities that the NAF counts as expected acquisitions. Beyond the Aksungur and additional T129s, the list includes:
- 24 Leonardo M-346 fighter and ground-attack jets
- 12 Bell AH-1Z attack helicopters
- Seven more AW109 Trekker B helicopters
- Three Airbus C295 transports
- One Airbus H225 multi-role helicopter
- Two CH-4D drones from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)
The NAF presented these types and quantities as the basis of its procurement pipeline and next phase of fleet growth.
This site is the portfolio.
OSINTSights runs on Cloudflare Workers, D1, R2, and Vectorize, with an AI pipeline on Hetzner ARM. Nubivance designed, built, and operates it. We do the same for clients.
See what we buildRecent deliveries, maintenance, and operational tempo
The list accompanied a summary of the past year’s operations and deliveries under Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, who took office on 30 October 2025. Over the first year of his tenure the service logged more than 6,100 flying hours across more than 2,900 sorties, covering precision strikes, armed reconnaissance, surveillance and close air support.
Recent arrivals cited by the NAF include three AW109 Trekker B and two Airbus H125 helicopters received in September. The service said the H125s have " materially boosted asset availability , giving commanders greater flexibility across multiple theatres." The NAF is also reactivating and upgrading six L-39ZA jets in Slovakia and Nigeria, with two expected to be finished by the end of October. One C-130 is in periodic depot maintenance in Portugal, and an ATR is being reactivated in Abuja.
Turkish and Chinese systems listed together; industry activity at AFRIDEX 2026
The NAF’s list places Turkish and Chinese unmanned systems on the same expected-acquisitions list. The 12 Aksungur UAVs would join an unmanned fleet that already operates the Baykar Bayraktar TB2 alongside China’s Wing Loong II, with the two CH-4D drones from CASC counted among expected additions. Turkish firms are active in Nigeria’s procurement and training ecosystem: TUSAŞ is the listed supplier for the Aksungur and the T129 ATAKs, and HAVELSAN said in 2024 it planned to provide ATAK helicopter simulators as Nigeria’s ATAK fleet grows.
The disclosure came as Lagos hosted the Africa Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX) 2026, where Turkish firms exhibited in a Türkiye Pavilion from 26 to 29 October — an industry context that aligns with the Turkish platforms named in the NAF’s procurement pipeline.
What this means for NAF procurement leaders, Turkish suppliers, and regional planners
- NAF procurement leaders and operational commanders: the published list functions as a roadmap for integration and logistics planning — from simulator and training needs to depot support for a mixed fleet combining Turkish, Italian, American and Chinese platforms.
- Turkish suppliers (TUSAŞ, HAVELSAN): the named orders — Aksungur UAVs, T129s and simulator commitments — create concrete opportunities for follow-on supply, training and sustainment work should the expected acquisitions proceed.
- Regional planners and defence observers: the co-existence of Bayraktar TB2s, Wing Loong IIs, CH-4Ds, and newly listed Aksungurs highlights a heterogeneous unmanned inventory that will require cross-platform logistics, common operating procedures and updated force-employment planning.
The NAF framed the list as expected acquisitions rather than completed purchases, and the service’s timeline includes items already in hand, items in reactivation or depot maintenance, and those sitting in the procurement pipeline. That mix — recent deliveries, in-country reactivations, overseas depot work, and a public roadmap for future types and quantities — outlines the practical challenges the force must manage as it seeks to scale both manned and unmanned capabilities.
