IN THE ARENA The downing of Nigerian Air Force Alpha Jet by bandits last Sunday has raised concerns over the growing capacity of non-state actors to acquire sophisticated weapons to fight the state…
The downing of Nigerian Air Force Alpha Jet by bandits last Sunday has raised concerns over the growing capacity of non-state actors to acquire sophisticated weapons to fight the state, Louis Achi writes
NAF confirmed the crash in a Monday statement by its spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, who stated there was no casualty as the pilot, Flt. Lt. Abayomi Dairo, escaped enemy fire and ground efforts to capture him. The latest incident makes it at least four air crashes involving Nigerian military planes in the last seven months.
Dairo, in his personal account of the incident, also described the so-called bandits as ruthless like Boko Haram, and wondered why they were described as bandits. It was first test-flown on October 26, 1973 and formally introduced into service in November 4, 1977 with almost 500 units manufactured since then.
To swathe a military jet fighter from the skies – or unthinkably a civilian aircraft – anti-aircraft missiles are needed and this must have been the weapons used by the so-called bandits to down the NAF jet. According to NATO, the weapons of choice in destroying airborne threats include air-to-air, surface-to-air and underwater-to-air missiles. The other extreme option is to zap the target with laser guns from orbiting vehicles.
And if indeed bandits or terrorist groups should gain this capability, it means they are being funded by very rich, shadowy forces. Going forward, nothing stops them from securing deadlier weapons to expand their depravity and territorial reach. These funding sources must be destroyed.
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