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Security experts demand precision amid plan to deploy Tucano planes against terrorists insurgency

A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft

•A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft... Photo: SNC and Embraer

NOt long ago, some Nigerians were elated when the Federal Government received the first batch of the A-29 Super Tucano Jets it ordered from the United States last year. The 12-year fight against insurgency and recently banditry seemed insurmountable for the military with many lives lost including those of soldiers and about 2.2 million people displaced, according to the United Nations Development Programme.

The Tucano jets are expected to boost the military’s fight against insurgency. And as the manufacturers of the aircraft – Embraer Defense and Security and the Sierra Nevada Corporation – said on its website in a statement titled: “First Nigerian Air Force A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft successfully completes inaugural flight” on April 17, 2020, they “are certain the Nigerian Air Force will be pleased with these aircraft.”

It’s indicative that Nigeria may be witnessing the beginning of an end to several attacks such as the December 24, 2010 killing of  32 people in Jos, Plateau State and six others in attacks against churches in Maiduguri, Borno State; the killing of about 304 people in several attacks including the bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja. Others were the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, killing of at least 118 in Jos, and massacre of 42 students in Yobe, Adamawa State in 2013; shooting of over 50 elderly people too old to flee in Gwoza town in Borno State in 2014; the killing of about 2,000 people between January 3 and 7, 2015 in Baga and deaths of about 400 others in attacks; and several other attacks that claimed hundreds of thousand between 2015 and 2021.

The fight against insurgency has become increasingly deadly. Boko Haram insurgents have morphed into Islamic State’s West Africa Province – a group that came into being after the then Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on March 7, 2015. In 2016, the group broke away from Boko Haram because, according to Researcher Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, Shekau proved to be “too extreme even by the Islamic State’s standards.” In 2021, ISWAP killed Shekau and annexed Boko Haram fighters into his fold. ISWAP fighters are believed to be more organised, well-trained and deadlier than Boko Haram. The scenario and other things have made the Tucano jets’ purchase crucial.

In December 2018, SNC and Embraer were awarded the contract to deliver 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force.

Embraer stated on its website that the contract for the NAF included ground training devices, mission planning systems, mission debrief systems, spares, ground support equipment, alternate mission equipment, contiguous US interim contractor support, outside of continental US (OCONUS) contractor logistic support and field service representatives for OCONUS support.

On July 27, 2021, The PUNCH quoted US’ Chargé d’Affaires, Kathleen FitzGibbon, as saying that American Sierra Nevada Corporation/Embraer Defense and Security A-29 “Super Tucano” Light Attack aircraft were sold to Nigeria to strengthen the country’s fight against terrorism, adding that the purchase “has brought our two militaries (American and Nigerian) closer in formal training, professional development, airbase construction, logistics planning, and negotiations.”

Similarly, US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, stressed that the purchase, “follows the Department of Defense’s “Total Package Approach” model and includes spare parts for several years of operation, contract logistics support, munitions, and a multi-year construction project to improve Kainji’s infrastructure.”

She added that “the U.S. Air Force’s 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, trained Nigerian pilots and maintenance crews to US standards.”

On its website, Embraer and SNC said the “combat-proven A-29 Super Tucano” has “already been selected by 15 air forces around the world to deliver cost-effective close air support and reconnaissance capabilities.”

The companies added that the aircraft is “the gold standard of light attack combat and reconnaissance aircraft around the world and is designed and built for the mission in Nigeria.”

They added, “The A-29 Super Tucano is the most reliable and cost-effective solution for basic and advanced flight and combat training, close air support operations, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), armed overwatch, counterinsurgency and irregular warfare scenarios. The aircraft has already been selected by 15 air forces around the world to deliver cost-effective close air support and reconnaissance capabilities.”

Commenting on the issue, a security analyst, Col. Hassan Stan-Labo (retd), welcomed the delivery of six of the 12 Tucanos. According to him, the delivery is a ‘big plus’ for Nigeria because of the sheer fact that they have been used mostly by nations with a vast history of fighting insurgency.

He said, “The Alpha Tucano 29 is not a jet fighter. The A-29 Tucanos are specialised aircraft. They are modelled to meet the challenges of insurgency, and experience has shown how capable they are in the field so their operational capabilities are not in doubt. They have surveillance capabilities; they’ve got night vision capabilities; they are low flying. Low flying aircraft are more suitable for counterinsurgency so that they can pick out the terrorists in the field. They have pre-mission review capabilities, that is, you can rehearse your actions before you move into real action itself. They fly at moderate speeds and that is why they are not jets. They move at moderate speed to be able to meet their objectives. They are operationally resilient. It is highly preferred today and many nations are acquiring it. Both advanced countries and third world countries like us. Operationally, it is a big plus for us and it is a good thing that we are going for 12. I want to believe that in the future we are going to increase our strength. But for now, the six will really help us professionally, in meeting all the challenges we have in combating insurgency.”

On his part, a political economist and Visiting Fellow at the International Centre for Policing and Security at the University of South Wales, Dr Uche Igwe, commended the Federal Government over the aircraft acquisition, adding that while military action was important, it could not be exclusively used in the fight against insurgency.

Igwe stated, “Purchase of the Tucano aircraft is military action to fight insurgency. Military action is important but recent experience shows that military action only cannot be deployed exclusively for victory in the fight against terrorism. I think that over the years the lack of victory over the insurgents is actually not as a result of limited military action, instead, we have seen a situation where some of the military equipment ends up in the hands of insurgents. It is also important that the government realises that beyond military action measures have to be put in place to make sure that the equipment does not end up in the hands of the enemies.”

However, a security analyst, Olukayode Ojo, noted that the aircraft wouldn’t end up in the hands of bandits and insurgents. According to him, bandits and ISWAP have seemingly grown in strength, given recent events in some states in the North, but they do not have the capacity to seize and keep the Tucano fighters planes.

He said, “When Shehu Sani said the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft wouldn’t fall into the hands of bandits or the Boko Haram insurgents, he was right. Yes, it was reported that a fighter jet was shot down by the enemies but can the bandits use it, no. We must know that nearly every aircraft comes with its own training. In civil aviation, if a pilot moves from one airline to another airline with a different kind of aircraft, the pilot goes for a conversion course. Likewise, the A-29 Tucano comes with its training package and the company that supplied the aircraft had to train some NAF personnel, not just to fly the Tucano but also for maintenance purposes.’’   ,,

Copyright PUNCH.

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