In a desperate move to recover the Nigerian Air Force Alpha Jet which went missing on Wednesday evening after it lost contact with the airspace radar, The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, on Thursday, has arrived Borno State, where he was briefed on efforts to recover the jet.
The jet plane got missing while on a mission to support ground troops in the anti-terror war against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province when it lost radar contact in the north-east state.
The radar is the main air traffic control system for the airspace around airports. Air traffic controllers monitor aircraft within the airspace from the radar.
NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, in a statement, said the CAS “arrived Maiduguri this morning and was briefed on ongoing search and rescue efforts in connection with the missing Alpha Jet aircraft.
Gabkwet said Amao “urged pilots, engineers and technicians to remain undeterred and resolute in their commitment to ensuring that peace returns to the North East.”
The NAF spokesman, however, did not disclose the number of officers on board the yet-to-be-found jet.
The Alpha Jet, a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer aircraft, has played a significant role in Nigeria’s counter-insurgency campaign in the Northeast, with the Air Force employing both Alpha Jet E (Ecole) trainer and -Alpha Jet A ( Appui tactique) ground-attack variants.
The Alpha Jet A was acquired by the Air Force in 2014 from Air USA. The Jet and one of the aircraft NAF 476 delivered in 2018 are reported to have equipment on board in support of night missions.
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