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The Nigerian Air Force is the air arm of the Nigerian military. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1964: // Events February February 7 - The Canadian Golden Hawks aerobatic team is disbanded. ... Air Marshal Paul Dike is the Nigerian Air Forces Chief of the Air Staff. ...

History

The Nigerian Air Force was established in January 1964 with technical assistance from West Germany. The air force started life as a transport unit with aircrew being trained in Canada, Ethiopia and India.

The head of the West German Assistance Group was Colonel G Kahz, and he became the first commander of the NAF. The nucleus of the NAF was thus established with the formation of the Nigerian Air Force headquarters at the Ministry of Defence.

The air force did not get a combat capability until a number of Mig 17 aircraft were presented by the Soviet Union in 1966. Further soviet fighters and bombers were delivered during the Biafran War, although most were destroyed on the ground or written off. MiG-17 at the Central Texas Airshow, USA, May 2003. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

Rank Structure

The NAF's rank structure is similar RAF's rank structure from where its ranks were derived. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Officers

In descending order of importance the GAF officer ranks are:

• Marshal of the Air Force
• Air Chief Marshal
• Air Marshal
• Air Vice Marshal
• Air Commodore
• Group Captain
• Wing Commander
• Squadron Leader
• Flight Lieutenant
• Flying Officer
• Pilot Officer

Marshal of the Air Force is a generic term for the most senior rank in an air force, equivalent to Field Marshal or Fleet Admiral. ... An Air Chief Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Chief Marshal is the most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force (RAF) today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... An air marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Marshal (Air Mshl or AM) is a rank in the Royal Air Force. ... An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia An Air Vice Marshals command flag Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts... An Air Commodoress sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Commodore is the fourth most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the deactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... A Group Captains sleeve/shoulder insignia A Group Captains command flag Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... A Wing Commanders sleeve/shoulder insignia A Wing Commanders command flag Wing Commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... A Squadron Leaders sleeve/shoulder insignia Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in some air forces. ... A Flight Lieutenants sleeve/shoulder insignia Flight Lieutenant (abbreviated as Flt Lt and pronounced as flight lef-tenant, see Lieutenant) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. ... A Flying Officers sleeve/shoulder insignia Flying Officer (Fg Off in the RAF; FLGOFF in the RAAF; FGOFF in the RNZAF; F/O in the former RCAF) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... A Pilot Officers sleeve/shoulder insignia Pilot Officer (Plt Off in the RAF; PLTOFF in the RAAF and RNZAF, P/O in the former RCAF) is the lowest substantive commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries, ranking only above Acting...

Airmen

In descending order of importance the NAF airman ranks are:

• Air Warrant Officer
• Master Warrant Officer
• Warrant Officer
• Flight Sergeant
• Sergeant
• Corporal
• Lance Corporal
• Aircraftman

Two Bermuda Regiment Warrant Officers. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ... Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... Lance Corporal (LCpl or L/Cpl) is a military rank used by some elements of the British, Commonwealth, and U.S. armed forces. ... Aircraftman (AC) (or Aircraftwoman (ACW)) is the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force, ranking below Leading Aircraftman and having a NATO rank code of OR-1. ...

Aircraft

• Combat aircraft
  • 15 Chengdu F-7
  • 32 MiG-21
  • 18 SEPECAT Jaguar
• Trainers
  • 12 MB-339
  • 24 Aero L-39
  • 37 Bulldog T1
  • 24 Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet
  • 20 Do 27
  • 36 Do 28
• Transport aircraft
  • 5 G.222
  • 1 Boeing 707
  • 1 Boeing 727
  • 1 Boeing 737
  • 1 BAe 125
  • 2 Dassault Falcon 900
  • 9 Do 228
  • 6 Fokker F27
  • 1 Fokker F28
  • 1 Gulfstream II
  • 1 Gulfstream IV
  • 9 C-130
• Attack helicopters
  • 14 Hughes 300
  • 24 BO 105
  • 6 Mi-24
  • 9 Mi-34
• Transport helicopters
  • 11 Eurocopter Puma
  • 12 Eurocopter Super Puma
  • 4 Mi-8

The Chengdu J-7 (export versions are designated F-7) is a Peoples Republic of China_built fighter jet derived from the Russian MiG-21. ... Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name Fishbed) is a fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. ... The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French ground attack aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force and several export customers, notably the Indian Air Force. ... The Aermacchi MB-339 is an Italian military trainer and attack aircraft. ... L-39C Albatros Slovak L-39 ZA at Radom Air Show 2005 The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance, jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia during the 1960s to replace the L-29 Delfín. ... The Bulldog is a 2-seat side-by-side training aircraft designed by Beagle Aircraft and after the demise of the company was built by Scottish Aviation. ... Alpha Jet owned by Red Bull The Alpha Jet is a light attack and advanced trainer aircraft manufactured by Dornier of Germany and Dassault-Breguet of France. ... Do 27 used by Bernhard Grzimek The Dornier Do 27 was a German single-engine STOL-utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier). ... The Alenia G.222 (Alenia originally Aeritalia) is a medium-sized STOL military transport aircraft. ... View of the port (left) number 1 & 2 Pratt & Whitney JT3D jet engines of a British Caledonian Boeing 707 showing the peculiarity of the number 1 engine mount which is different from the other three. ... The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, single-aisle (narrow-body) commercial jet airliner. ... The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular medium-range, narrowbody commercial passenger jet aircraft. ... BAe 125-1000 The twin-engined BAe 125 is the worlds best selling mid-size corporate jet, now marketed as the Raytheon Hawker 800. ... The Falcon 900 is a large corporate jet manufactured by Dassault, unique in the fact that it, along with its smaller sibling, the Falcon 50, and the Falcon 7X, an advanced development, are currently the only corporate jets offered with more than two engines (in both cases, three). ... The Dornier Do 228 is a small German twin turboprop STOL-utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) from 1981 till 1998. ... A PIA F27 at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore in January, 2006 The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. ... Fokker F28 The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by Dutch aircraft manufacturer, Fokker. ... Gulfstream II is a large twin engine business jet built by Gulfstream Aerospace, and its US military designation is C-11. ... Gulfstream G400 The Gulfstream G400 (formerly marketed as the Gulfstream IV) is a private jet aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Georgia, a General Dynamics company. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft, is the main tactical air transport aircraft of the United States and UK military forces. ... The Schweizer 300 family of light utility helicopters was formerly produced by Hughes Helicopters and is now manufactured by Schweizer Aircraft, a subsidiary of Sikorsky Aircraft, and has been in production for almost 50 years. ... Canadian Coast Guard BO-105 helicopters The german BO 105 is a light twin engine multi purpose utility helicopter initially developed by Bölkow, and then build by Messerschmidt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) which is now belonging to the Eurocopter Group. ... The Mil Mi-24 is a large combat helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport operated from 1976 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations. ... The Mil Mi-34 (NATO reporting name: Hermit) is a two/four seat light instructional and competition helicopter. ... ... Hong Kong Government Flying Service Eurocopter AS-332L2 Super Puma MkII The Eurocopter Super Puma (originally built by Aérospatiale) is a helicopter marketed for civil and military use. ... Russian Mi-8 Hip The Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name Hip) is a large transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. ...

Reference

• Michael I. Draper and Frederick Forsyth, Shadows: Airlift and Airwar in Biafra and Nigeria 1967-1970 (Howell Press, 2000) ISBN 1-902109-63-5

Frederick Forsyth. ...

External link

• Air Force Military School, Jos

• Nigerian Air Force