Badaru Inspects Production Progress of 34 NAF Aircraft in Italy
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has inspected the ongoing production of 34 aircraft being built for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) at Leonardo’s defence manufacturing facilities in Northern Italy.
The visit, which formed part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s high-level delegation to the AQABA Process meeting in Italy, took the Minister to Leonardo’s Helicopters Division in Vergiate and the Aircraft Division in Venegono—both key sites responsible for assembling advanced military platforms for Nigeria’s Armed Forces.
Mati Ali, Personal Assistant to the Minister on Media & Publicity disclosed this in a statement that at the Leonardo Helicopters Division, the Minister was briefed on the production stages of ten AW109 Trekker attack helicopters ordered by the NAF. Out of these, three are now fully completed and ready for delivery, while another three are expected to roll off the production line by the end of 2025. The remaining four are scheduled for delivery in early 2026.
In the same vein, the Defence Minister proceeded to Leonardo’s Aircraft Division in Venegono, where he inspected six of the twenty-four M-346 Fighter Attack Jets currently under construction for the NAF. Three of the jets are already undergoing flight tests, while the remaining three are nearing the testing phase.
Read Also:
Badaru expressed satisfaction with the level of progress and the quality assurance maintained throughout the assembly lines. He praised the professionalism and technical expertise demonstrated by Leonardo’s engineers, noting that the collaboration reflected Nigeria’s renewed commitment to modernizing its military aviation fleet.
He said the project aligns with President Tinubu’s directive to enhance the operational capabilities of the Nigerian Armed Forces through targeted investments in modern equipment, high-level training, and strategic global partnerships.
“The commitment we have seen here reinforces our confidence that Nigeria’s Air Force will soon receive some of the most advanced aircraft in its history,” Badaru said. “These assets will significantly boost our capacity to tackle insecurity, support peace operations, and defend our territorial integrity.”
The inspection visit also underscored the Federal Government’s resolve to build stronger defence cooperation with trusted international partners, especially in areas of technology transfer, maintenance training, and indigenous capacity development.
Leonardo S.p.A., an Italian aerospace and defence giant, has been a longstanding partner to Nigeria, supporting the NAF with aircraft production, maintenance, and technical support over the years.
Badaru’s tour of the facilities marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing defence modernization drive under the Tinubu administration.
By PRNigeria
