On September 4, 2024, a significant step in military cooperation was taken as Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, Chief of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), and Lieutenant General Mahmoud Foaad Abd El-Gawad, Chief of the Egyptian Air Force (EAF), met in Cairo to pledge enhanced collaboration between their air forces.
The two leaders discussed bolstering cooperation in pilot training and Research and Development (R&D), focusing on areas such as the overhaul of NAF's Alpha jets. Air Marshal Abubakar's visit, hosted by General El-Gawad, marks a renewed commitment to building on the existing partnership, which has previously seen the Egyptian Air Force train around 50 Nigerian pilots.
A key outcome of the meeting was the agreement for the EAF to send a delegation to Nigeria to assess and potentially overhaul the Alpha jets. This visit will also explore opportunities for in-house tactical training for NAF pilots to further enhance their skills.
Additionally, during his visit to Cairo, Air Marshal Abubakar attended the Egypt International Air Show at El-Alamein International Airport. There, he engaged with several defense and aerospace companies, including Aero Vodochody Aerospace, CATIC, and Ariegsa. Notably, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Ariegsa for the construction of aircraft simulators in Nigeria, tailored to each aircraft type in the NAF's inventory. This initiative aims to facilitate knowledge transfer and enhance training capabilities within the NAF.
The delegation accompanying Air Marshal Abubakar included Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Idris, Director of Training, and Air Commodore Adebayo Bamidele, Commander of the 301 Heavy Airlift Group. The visit underscores a strong commitment to deepening defense collaboration between Nigeria and Egypt, with a focus on improving operational efficiency and training within the Nigerian Air Force.
