The Nigerian Navy has officially received three newly acquired Agusta Westland 109 Trekker helicopters from the Ministry of Defence.
The handover took place during a brief ceremony on Tuesday at the Caverton Helicopters Limited (CHL) hangar in Ikeja, Lagos, as announced by Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, the Director of Naval Information, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
The AW 109 helicopters come with a VIP configuration, featuring full leather interiors and a noise attenuation system. They are equipped with landing skids, enhancing their loading capacity compared to wheeled models.
Additionally, the helicopters have auxiliary tanks that allow for an impressive endurance of up to 3 hours and 40 minutes, making them suitable for long-range transport flights. They can also be retrofitted with specialized mission equipment.
Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Naval Staff, expressed his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his steadfast support of the Armed Forces and the Nigerian Navy specifically.
He also thanked the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence for their roles in facilitating the acquisition to strengthen the Navy’s operational capabilities.
The handover ceremony was attended by Dr. Ibrahim Kana, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, and other officials.
