Sofema, a renowned French company that specializes in the reconditioning of military equipment, is currently undertaking a comprehensive study to develop a detailed plan for refurbishing and modernizing the French Alpha Jets specifically for the Nigerian Air Force.
Sofema recently won a contract to supply Martin Baker MK10 ejection seats in five NAF Alpha jets.
This strategic initiative aims to enhance the capabilities of the Nigerian Air Force by equipping them with state-of-the-art aircraft through the expertise and proficiency of Sofema.
Drawing on their extensive experience in the field, Sofema is diligently analyzing the requirements and intricacies involved in this endeavour, with the ultimate goal of providing the Nigerian Air Force with advanced Alpha Jets that meet the highest standards of performance and reliability.
The Alpha Jet is a light attack and training aircraft that was jointly developed by Dassault of France and Dornier of Germany. It was first introduced in 1973, and it has been used by over 20 air forces around the world. The Alpha Jet is capable of carrying a variety of weapons, including bombs, rockets, and missiles. It is also equipped with a gun pod that can be used for close air support missions.
This collaboration between Sofema and the Nigerian Air Force exemplifies the commitment to strengthening bilateral relationships and promoting mutual cooperation in the defense sector.
Sofema is already supplying spare parts to five ageing aircraft that are still being used by the Nigerian army, and recently visited a French air force base to select four or five more Alpha Jets they could recondition and sell to the NAF. Sofema is thus determined to quickly double the NAF’s fleet of Alpha Jets within six months to one year.
The French company also maintains neighboring Cameroon’s Alpha Jets since 2015. Although all but two of its 27 Alpha Jet MS2 are working, with only 12 now in service.
The NAF is also interested in acquiring 24 M-346 light attack aircraft from Italian firm Leonardo, but this deal has not yet been finalized. In the meantime, the NAF can rely on its fleet of 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft delivered by Washington to retaliate against Boko Haram’s insurrection in the northeast.
Since 2021, the Nigerian Air Force have been carrying out Periodic Depot Maintenance (PDM) on the Alpha Jet fleet to further its sustained efforts to boost Air Power employment capability against insurgency and other security challenges.
The in-house PDM, apart from being cost-effective when compared to the overseas option, also affords NAF technicians the opportunity to build better technical capacity.
The Nigerian Air Force has lost a number of the Alpha jets due to crash likely as a result of the stress of rigorous operations over the years.
The Nigerian Air Force acquired its fleet of Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet aircraft in the early 1980s. The first 24 Alpha Jets were delivered in 1982, and they were used for both training and light attack missions. In 2011, four of the Alpha Jets were upgraded with new avionics and weapons systems. Four additional aircraft were acquired in 2015 by the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration. In 2020, nine more Alpha Jets were reactivated after being mothballed for several years. As of 2023, the Nigerian Air Force has 11 Alpha Jets in service.
Nigeria is set to receive twenty-four M-346 Master aircraft from Italian aircraft maker Leonardo. It is not yet certain the exact variant of the M-346 Nigeria ordered for, either the basic version, the M-346FT (Fighter Trainer), or the M-346FA (Fighter Attack) variants.
The deal is reported to be worth an estimated €1.2 billion and will see the Italian jets replacing the aging Dassault Alpha jet A/E in use by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The Alpha jets of the Nigerian Air Force which have been flying for several decades have started showing their age, with several crashing in quick succession.
Although vastly upgraded, the Alpha jets are not designed for tactical close air support, since they have to fly close to the ground and within the firing envelope of ground-based anti-air weapons to deliver unguided bombs. An Alpha jet supporting troops with close air support was shot down by bandits in July 2021.
With this new modernization process by Sofema, the Nigerian Air Force may be signaling it’s intention to keep the Alpha jet flying into the next decade alongside the newer M-346 Masters aircraft.