₦airaland Forum

NIGERIAN ARMY TO COMMENCE “EXERCISE CROCODILE SMILE” THIS WEEKEND

The Nigerian Army will from this weekend commence another training exercise code named “EXERCISE CROCODILE SMILE” in 82 Division and part of 2 Division areas of responsibility traversing the South-South geo-political region.

The aim of the exercise is to practice our Special Forces and other units of the Nigerian Army in Amphibious and Internal Security Operations in riverine environment and also check criminal activities like kidnapping, militancy and piracy and other forms of criminal activities in support of the civil authority.

The general public is please requested not to panic on the sight of unusual movement of large number of troops, heavy military weapons and equipment in these areas.

Thank you for your kind and usual cooperation.

Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman
Acting Director Army Public Relations

nemesis2u:
disclaimer:

I PICKED FAULTS WITH THE GUYS ARTICLE , NOT WITH THE AIRCRAFT

THE AIRCRAFT IS GOOD , IT WAS BUILT/DESIGNED FOR A CERTAIN PURPOSE AND IT DOES THAT JOB .

SO SIT BACK AND WAIT FOR THE JETS TO LAND IN UR COUNTRY.

......

Concluding part.......

Heroic burial in Ado-Ekiti

Few days after, the same scene played out between Ibadan and Ado-Ekiti for Fajuyi. Both the low and mighty gathered at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan to pay their last respects to the fallen hero. In contrast, the pain-filled Ado-Ekiti indigenes could still not muster the courage to come to terms with the tragedy as the transition train moved to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in the city.

For the Fajuyis, the emotions of bereavement were absolute and consuming. Sympathisers thronged their family house in Ado-Ekiti to offer words that were intended to lessen their pains. The bereaved were hardly comforted.

Analysts believe the course of history of this country would have been different if that exceptional soldier of soldiers, Fajuyi, had behaved differently. According to them, the Nigerian history had clearly marked Fajuyi as a soldier of distinction who died defending the Nigerian state and her unity.

A sociologist, Dr Innocent Okechukwu, described Fajuyi as a strong moralist who adhered strictly to the ethics that a host is obliged to protect his guest. Fajuyi’s self-sacrifice, he said, proved that Ekiti tribe of Yoruba nation had no hands in the death of the Aguiyi-Ironsi.

Former Ekiti State Governor, Chief Segun Oni, described Fajuyi as great patriot who choose to pay the supreme price for a friend and more for the unity of Nigeria. “On July 29, 1966 at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, a thick cloud descended on the shining star of a great son of Ekitiland, Lt. Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi,” he recalled.

Commending the courage of the slain former military governor, Oni said: “Only God knows what would have become of the Nigerian nation, if he had allowed the arrest and assassination of Gen. Aguiyi-Ironsi on July 29, 1966 in Ibadan.  Indeed, Lt. Col. Fajuyi chose to pay the supreme price for a friend and more for the unity of the country. He was indeed a patriot.”

Politics of succession

The former military governor argued that having served as the Chief of Staff, and with the full rank of a Colonel at the time Fajuyi was killed along with the then Head of State, Gen. Aguiyi -Ironsi, he found it difficult to take a lower position as military governor, a position which Fajuyi , a junior officer occupied till his death.

Following his inability to get any Yoruba officer to be appointed governor of the region, Adebayo was prevailed upon to take the appointment.

His profile

Fajuyi was born on June 26, 1926 to the late Pa Isaiah and Felicia Osundunke Fajuyi of Ado-Ekiti, in the present day Ekiti State. He attended St. George’s Catholic School, Ado–Ekiti. He joined the army on November 16, 1943.

After the basic military training in Zaria, he proceeded to the Army Clerks Training School, Yaba, Lagos. The late Fajuyi also attended courses in Teshi, Ghana and the Officers Cadet School in the United Kingdom, where he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in 1954.

He served as Military Adviser, Headquarters ONUC, Congo (August to December, 1961; Officer-in-charge, Third Battalion, Nigerian Army, Kaduna; Commanding Officer, First Battalion, Enugu and Commander, Abeokuta Garrison. He served in Germany on attachment to the British Army. In 1957, he attended the Platoon Commanders course in England. He also trained as an officer in Pakistan in 1964.

Count......

It was obvious that the coup plotters never set out to kill Fajuyi; their objective was to abduct Aguiyi-Ironsi. But, Fajuyi refused to hand-over the late Head of State; he insisted on tagging along with his friend and boss. As a gallant soldier, he took the decision to die in action. An Ekiti man to the core, he was fearless and stubborn to what he perceived as injustice.



The author of Aguiyi-Ironsi’s autobiography, Chuks Ilogbunam, gave an account of the unfortunate incident in the wee hours of July 29: “The telephone rang. Lt. Andrew Nwankwo, the Supreme Commander’s (Ironsi ‘s ) Air Force aide-de-camp (ADC), picked up the receiver instantly. Bad news, he taunted his physique. The voice at the other end of the line belonged to Police Superintendent Joseph Adeola. His message was that the much- feared and much –rumoured counter-coup had indeed started……

“In quick, heart-piercing succession, unfolding events cast gloom of an impending doom. Soon, desperation set in. One by one, the Head of State and Col. Fajuyi started to send out their aides to approach the gates (that had been surrounded by enemy soldiers) and determine the position of things.

“It was a season of betrayal and conspiracies. Unknown to the duo, some of their aides were either moles or had switched loyalty. But between the Head of State and the governor, there was obvious necessity to reassure each other that none had a hand in the fate loosely hanging over their heads.”

How he was killed

Fajuyi told his guest: “I make bold to declare to you that I am with you in soul, spirit and body. And, mark my words, whatever happens to you today, happens to me. I am your true friend, dear J.T.U. like the dove to the pigeon; and by the grace of our good God, so will I humbly yet proudly remain till the very end.” To this, Aguiyi-Ironsi replied: “Yes, Francis, I retain my absolute confidence in you. I have never for once doubted your integrity.

“And, so, it was for the host and his guest. Fajuyi did not treasure his personal safety over that of his Commander-in-Chief and intimate friend. When the hour came, both were physically battered by the coupists on their way to the serene, sleepy and desolate area called Lalupon at the outskirts of Ibadan. There they were finally killed and buried in a shallow grave.”

Another account reveals that the security guards who were supposed to protect Fajuyi and Aguiyi-Ironsi caved in and both men were exposed to danger. Fajuyi was said to have roared to the assailants: “You want to kill him in my house? Why didn’t you kill him when he visited your place? And if you want to kill him, you must kill two of us. With these heroic words, he was abducted with his guest, tortured and later assassinated.”

It was a deep but subdued mourning for their families; for the new military authorities did not readily admit that they had died in the retaliatory coup. It took seven months before an official announcement confirmed what had been widely known.

The bodies of Aguiyi-Ironsi and Fajuyi were exhumed from the Ibadan cemetery for decent reburial later. The corpse of the late Head of State was brought to the Lagos Airport on January 20, 1967 where the former Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, Col. Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Aguiyi-Ironsi’s widow, Victoria, stepped forward to receive it.

Remembering an officer and gentleman


The first Military Governor of the defunct Western Region, Lt.-Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, was killed 50 years ago alongside the Head of State, Major-Gen. Johnson Thomas Ummunakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi in the counter-coup of July 29, 1966. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN extols the virtues of the gallant soldier and the supreme sacrifice he made for the unity of the country.

He remains an unsung hero in the history of Nigeria. The role Lt.-Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, the first Military Governor of the old Western Region, played in the history of Nigeria singled him out as a “star”. He did not take part in the January 15, 1966 coup, but he was a victim of the counter-coup of July 29, which was staged to revenge the killings of the first coup. In the process of trying to protect the late Head of State, Major-General Johnson Thomas Ummunakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, who was his guest on the fateful morning of the coup, he was consumed in the bloody take-over of government, alongside his boss.

Aguiyi-Ironsi-Ironsi had arrived Ibadan on July 28, 1966 to address a conference of traditional rulers of Western Nigeria in Ibadan. Having concluded his assignment, he was to have returned to Lagos by the evening of the same day. But, his host prevailed on him to spend the night with him at the Government House, Ibadan and he obliged.

A bloody overthrow of the civilian regime of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa’s government had taken place in January 15, 1966 in which the Prime Minister and other top government functionaries, mainly of northern extraction, were killed. Ironically, Aguiyi-Ironsi did not participate in the violent bloodletting, but he inherited the pieces of a shattered republic by virtue of his seniority in the Armed Forces. He, alongside his courageous host, Fajuyi, was assassinated by the revenge-seeking northern soldiers. They were killed at a village near Ibadan.

Below is a picture of Adekunle fujuyi

#AFSF...

Litmus:
Dear Henry240,

I’d like to say F to the 17 if I could but he’s better than nothing. In reality my heart has fallen for the bird called Sue who’s in her 30’s unfortunately we can’t afford her. What can we do?


regards


Litmus

Honestly he made me fall in love some much with the love.

Henry240:
[b]JF-17 is currently China's only advanced fighter developed in open. Many people use it to understand China's fighter development direction.







The JF-17 Thunder's cockpit is very compact and functional position is positioned well and shows very mature system. 1 HUD is the main fighter display. This HUD has 24 degree in sight. It can add infrared signal and supply flying, navigation, liftoff and landing info, it can also display target details and shooting detail. It can also communicate, navigate using the GUI There is a camera located above
the HUD. It records HUD and external sights. HUD is the most important instrument in flight. Integrated informational level is dependent on this. Russia added
some nice looking displays for su-30, but their display information is simple and information is spread.



So, it did not really integrate the information. The JF-17 HUD uses a lot of digital processing and information integration
information. For example, radar information, fight command info. HUD's controller has the ability to change display. Controller can also control all of the plane's dipslay. 3 MFDs are below the HUD. It is multi-colour LCD display. The dimension of the MFD is 20.3cmx30.6cm (note: this works out to be 8 x 12 inch, but a more realistic estimation is 6.25x8.25). The area is 4 times the previous area. The
display brightness and contrast can be automatically adjusted. It also allows handle control. Each MFD displays
important function. Display info can be changed. The control on the side acts as parameter design. Very often, left side shows weapon situation and numbers. Right side displays radar and combat info. The center shows some
less important info, because it requires the pilot to lower his/her head. Like navigational info and map and so so. All the MFD can change to other info like radar, cockpit camera and infrared picture and such. cockpit also allows night navigation and pilots can use night goggles to fly.
JF-17 uses a hotas controller, pilot can keep hands on controller and still control the fighter's sensor mode, weapon and display.


This greatly reduces a pilots movement and makes operation much easier. The controller does not affect the position in combat. Basically, allows pilots to keep the hand on the controller in combat. The earlier western 4th generation fighters like F-16A/B only had limited functions on the controller. JF-17 HOTAS uses advanced western design like F-16C/d, F-18C/D and
Mirage2000D's newest model for design.[/b]

Oh my God u'v just killed it.

Nice insight you've shared here and lovely pictures. The cockpit is the picture I love the much, so beautiful.

So one more thing, are these birds going to come with laser designator pod's , if not what's ur own suggestions...

Henry240:
Thanks for the go ahead Sir, let me do justice.

U no go kill someone.....

Henry240:
Jakeporoshenko who spoke with the Nigerian Air Force did say we would get them August - September, but "how long is becoming so long". "My blood already dey hot", i don dey wait since 2012.


Please i want to post a little bit of detailed info on the JF-17 here, and a couple pictures.


NAF JF-17 would be a state-of-the-art 4 Generation fighter aircraft which has an avionics suite the same as is available on the J-10. The only draw back for the JF-17 is it has only 7 hard-points when compared to the 8 Hard-Points on the Gripen C/D and 11 Hard-points on the J-10.


NAF would be getting a fighter plane which is just under the F-16 Block 52+ and higher than the F-16 Block 40.

No problem pls do.

No be only u blood dey hot, I visit NAF website every day to see if there will be news of them.....n

RANDOM PICTURES

Henry240:
They are becoming fewer, although i still see a couple sentry guys carry the FAL. I like the fact the AKs are about to be abandoned by the Air Force, this is the 21st century.


As for the FALs, if we had a vibrant defence industry they could have been converted into a designated marksman rifle. Add scope, take out most of the metal, replace them with polymer. Generally mordenise them.



Anyway, i just can't wait for the JF-17s to arrive, good a thing the Air Force has greatly improved it's PR, we would surely see good photos of the jet.

On beegeagles twitter handle these morning, he tweeted that he had the jf-17 we arrive around that oct-sept these year ending.

SergeAlain:
Yes ooo.

Take care of your rifle, and it will take care of you. See as the guy nearly cover the rifle blanket.

Yeap, if you don't take care of most of these western/european weapons they get jammed/spoilt under bad weather. And that's why the Kalashnikov family/variants.

Al-Shabab bombs target African Union troops in Somalia

At least 13 people were killed when two vehicles packed with explosives went off as they were driven towards a base for African Union troops in the Somali capital, according to officials and witnesses.

The first blast happened near an entrance to the base, which is beside Mogadishu's main airport, and the second at a nearby checkpoint manned by Somali government forces. 

White smoke could be seen billowing over the city after the blast on Tuesday.

"Thirteen people died in the two suicide vehicle explosions," Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman
for Banadir administration, the local government, told Al Jazeera by phone from the scene of the blasts. 

"Nine of the dead were security for the UN and three were civilians. Five people were also injured in the explosions," Abdifatah added, not giving details of the 13th death.  

A journalist at the scene said ambulances were ferrying the wounded to hospital.

The al-Shabab armed group told Al Jazeera it was responsible for the attack.

"Our Mujahideen targeted Halane which is base to the foreign forces occupying our Muslim country. We have killed dozens of them," Abdulaziz Abu Muscab, a spokesman for the group, said.

AMISOM, the African Union peacekeeping force, said on Twitter that it condemned the attack.

"These senseless attacks ... aim to disrupt the lives of ordinary Somalis," it said. 

Farhan Haq, spokesman for the UN secretary general, also denounced the attack.

"It is disturbing, both the attack and the scale of the attack," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"It's clear that the explosives in the trucks were of immense firepower," Haq said, adding that if the guards had not stopped one of the cars from entering the UN premises, there "would have been considerably more damage and loss of life".

It is not the first time that the armed group has attacked the AU force's heavily fortified headquarters in the city. In December 2014 fighters from the group breached the base's security perimeter before engaging troops in a gun battle that lasted several hours and killed at least three soldiers.

The AMISOM force, deployed to Somalia since 2007, currently has some 22,000 soldiers from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti.

They have managed to push al-Shabab out of the capital, but the group still holds large swaths of territory and frequently launches hit-and-run attacks.

#NAF

upko1:
Lz

Big yet beautiful bird.

NAF GRADUATES 209 RECRUITS



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYPp14hcTCY

#CION

jakeporeshenko:
Pic 1. Egyptian land forces
Pic 2. Egyptian mistral class
Pic 3. Egyptian REVA MRAPs

Will that day ever come, when NA will assemble these type of force.

Just saying......

NA GAZELLE HELICOPTER ON THE FRONTLINES..

DEATHMACHINE:
nice one add ,most importantly polymer too , on a lighter note have so gotten used to iron Ak that it felt somehow using the beryl carbine at first .

The dust/receiver cover is the part i hate the most on the AK's & even the beryl rifle, It's the first part that rifle gets rust and I hate the sight, look @ the beryl rifles they are already having the look also.

Polymer is the way forward .

#BATTLE FIELD IMAGES

TAKING CARE OF W.I.A.

SergeAlain:
My brother you are right but there is an aspect you are missing out and i will try to illustrate it like this:

Imagine a poor man wanted to drink pap (Akamu or Koko) with milk. In the past this poor man would have had to find N1200 or so to buy a tin/refill pack of milk. For this reason he would probably end up not drinking the pap or managing it without milk.

Luckily Wonderfoods (Promasidor) came up with small one-man dose sachets of milk for about N50 so that a poor man could also drink milk. From an analyst's point of view, that N50 satchet is actually more expensive than the refill pack if you check (total costs per unit) i.e. if you use those refill packs daily for 1 month, you will spend more money than if you close eye and buy the large refill pack.

So back to fighter jets. while it maybe cheaper to buy a squadron of jets A over the life cycle, the prohibitive costs of initial acquisition of those jets may make it impossible for a poor country to buy them. They may prefer to acquire a squadron of cheaper aircraft - Jet B, though in the long term Jet B will cost more, but at least they are on ground from day 1 and provide presence in force, rather than maybe opting to buy the more expensive (but more economical jet A) say in batches of 4 each over a long period.

What a funny illustration cracking my ribs right here but you've delivered a great message here mate.......

Litmus:
This makes for depressing reading. Seems government is again hiding behind competing demands. You know, for sometime now, I've had the horrible feeling that this present government far from wanting to modernise the army and looking for modern fighter aircraft, has probably been fighting hard behind the seen to cancel the JF 17 aircraft contracts of the last government. America would like that.

The jf17 is a done deal, sooner or later we will get the first three deliveries or even more who knows, There is no going back on the acquisition of those birds .

And sorry if u don't mind correcting part of ur statement; " has probably been fighting hard behind the seen to cancel the JF 17 aircraft contracts of the last government".
The acquisition first appeared in these year 2016 defence budget which includes : PROCUREMENT PLAN DETAILS THE ACQUISITION OF JF17 THUNDER/FC-1 MULTIROLE JETS, SUPER MUKSHAK TRAINER AIRCRAFT AND MI-35M ATTACK HELICOPTERS.

Odunayaw:
Na wetin I de fear be this fa!
if they were importing that camouflage.. they should contract the Nigerian company that the others to do for the Airforce & navy with their traditional colors

anyways...I hope the BMATT team are training instructors...I know we are paying for the training cooperation So we must have Nigerian instructor so we can kick them out soonest

Beauty part of the Regiment is that they have their own anthem/song (like the USMC)...Bro its very cool...I felt like getting their form at once

Of course they can't be here forever. instructors frm the tiers of the Nigeria military will take over after some time.

NAF TROOPERS

Somalia: Airstrikes hit Al Shabaab base in EL Ade

Unknown planes targeted Al Shabaab base with strikes late on Sunday night according to residents, Garowe Online reports. 

The airstrikes were said to be precise and could not hit civilian areas nearby, sources said under customary condition of anonymity.  At least three fighter jets were seen swooping over the targeted base where Al Shabaab maintains militias presence.  

On January 15, Al Shabaab carried out a deadly raid on Kenyan forces stationed there, prompting a wave of pummeling by Kenyans. 

Somali government officials and peacekeeper sources have not officially commented on the fatalities from the aerial assault overnight.  

Drone strikes previously hit built-up areas by mistake, despite reported casualties being dismissed by Jubaland authorities.  

PM offers condolences  Meanwhile in Mogadishu, Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has offered his condolences over the passing of army veteran late General Abdirahman Warsame Elmi (Are).

Buratai: Why Nigerian Army Fights Boko Haram with Refurbished Equipment

The Nigerian Army on Monday said it has to revert to refurbished equipment to fight Boko Haram as modern weaponry and equipment are expensive.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Combat Support Arms Training Week in Maiduguri, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai said the “acquisition of modern weaponry and equipment such as latest artillery guns, engineer bomb disposal equipment, cipher instrument to mention a few are quite expensive.”

Buratai, who was represented by the Army’s Chief of Training and Operations, Major-General Hassan Umaru, said: “The Nigerian Army had therefore decided in its wisdom to refurbish and re-modify existing equipment to meet the realities of the times.”

He added that: “This is what informed the tasking of the Special Vehicle Plant (SVP) located in Bauchi to undertake some daunting repair projects. Some of the vehicles sent there for re-modification or refurbishment have been certified serviceable for operational purposes and released to the end users.”

He assured that: “We shall continue to look inwards and take advantage of our competences to navigate the dilemma of operational exigencies and inadequate government resources to procure new equipment.”

He said: “This is required of us at this point in time. Needless to say here that equipment maintenance is the business of everyone. It is a challenge for us to maintain our equipment, which requires a change in attitude from each and every one of us.”

He said having gone through the theme of the training, “Countering Asymmetric Warfare in the 21st Century: The Role of Combat Supporting Arms”, “I am confident that the topics and resource persons for the training week have been carefully selected to ensure professional capacity.”

He added that there was no doubt that the outcome of the event would contribute positively to the decision making process of the Nigerian Army in its quest to effectively carry out its assigned constitutional roles

Nigerdeltaboi:
I have a problem with these BMATT guys carry arms in my own country , saw some at a military base with tigh hostler side arms .I dey beef them wallahi .

.....

@sheyiofficial nice piece.

It's like the NAF is not making use of its own camouflage again, even when you visit airforce base rarely will use them wear it again, instead it's either the universal or woodland camouflage.

MORE..........