News Investigators/ The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has recorded over 6,100 flying hours and more than 2,900 sorties between November 2025 and September 2026 under the leadership of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke.
The Director of Public Relations and Information of NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Ejodame said the milestones covered operational, personnel, training, infrastructure and force modernisation as Aneke approached his first anniversary in office on Oct. 30.
He said the missions, which consumed close to 10 million litres of Jet A-1 fuel, encompassed precision air strikes, armed reconnaissance, surveillance and close air support to degrade hostile elements and enhance effectiveness of surface forces.
The NAF spokesman said the operations were guided by actionable intelligence, defined objectives and assessments of outcomes to ensure every sortie served a clear operational purpose.
He also said that the CAS placed personnel welfare at the heart of his leadership philosophy anchored on “Welfare for Enhanced Warfare”, with improvements in allowances, medical support, accommodation and infrastructure.
According to him, the Service reactivated welfare airlift services for personnel in frontline operational theatres.
He added that 57 senior officers were promoted to Air Vice Marshal and Air Commodore, while 1,534 senior non-commissioned officers and 1,936 non-commissioned officers advanced to higher ranks.
Ejodame said more than 550 personnel participated in international training and over 6,000 received local training to strengthen competencies and leadership capacity.
He said the NAF received five additional helicopters in September comprising three AW-109 Trekker Type B and two H125 helicopters to expand operational flexibility.
The director said the service was pursuing acquisition of 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters and other aircraft and unmanned aerial systems to strengthen airlift, combat, training, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
He added that maintenance efforts include reactivation and upgrade of six L-39ZA aircraft in Slovakia and Nigeria and Periodic Depot Maintenance of a C-130 aircraft in Portugal.
Ejodame said safety and accountability remained pillars of the transformation agenda with establishment of an Operational and Safety Audit Committee and strengthened Safety Management System.
He further said that the service was advancing Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response and planed to establish an Open-Source Intelligence Centre to improve situational awareness.
He said NAF approved 284 infrastructure projects, of which 145 had been completed and 139 ongoing, covering accommodation, academic, medical, administrative and operational facilities.
According to him, local production initiatives include Aircraft Release Device 863 impulse release cartridges, 250-kilogram bomb-loading trolley and development and ground testing of locally produced 57-millimetre rockets.
He said the NAF remained focused on translating investments in people, platforms, training, technology and infrastructure into tangible operational results.
NAN