Nigeria is nearing completion of a landmark military aircraft acquisition agreed last year with Italy, with deliveries of 24 M-346FA fighter jets and 10 AW-109 helicopters almost finalised, signalling a major upgrade of its air power.

Nigeria is advancing a major military modernisation drive as it prepares to take delivery of parts of a fleet of 24 Italian-built M-346FA fighter jets and 10 AW-109 helicopters from Italian aerospace and defence firm Leonardo S.p.A., marking a significant upgrade to its air combat and rotary-wing capabilities.

The deal, valued at approximately €1.2 billion, includes long-term maintenance and support provisions through Leonardo and represents a strategic deepening of defence ties between Nigeria and the Italian manufacturer.

While the programme has gained fresh momentum over the past year, Nigeria’s engagement with Leonardo on the M-346 platform dates back several years.

Defence industry reports as early as 2021 identified Nigeria as planning to acquire up to 24 M-346 jets as part of a long-term effort to replace ageing aircraft in its fleet.

However, financing approvals, detailed negotiations and delivery schedules took a clearer shape between 2023 and 2024.

Business Inside Africa in an earlier publication, reported that in 2024, Nigeria's cabinet approved a borrowing plan of $618 million from a consortium of financiers to purchase six Italian-made M-346 attack jets along with ammunition for the country's air force.

A key milestone came in October 2024, during a Programme Management Review Meeting in Italy, where Nigerian officials inspected the first batch of six jets, reviewed production progress, and confirmed structured delivery batches for both jets and helicopters.

The most recent update came during an October 2025 inspection in Italy by former Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who toured Leonardo’s facilities, observing flight test procedures, inspected assembly lines, and received detailed technical briefings from Leonardo’s engineers and management team.

Six of the twenty-four M-346 jets are already at advanced stages with three undergoing flight tests. The rest, according to Leonardo, will follow in structured batches of six aircraft each, complete with weapons systems, spare parts, and training packages.

On the helicopter side, three of the ten AW-109 units are fully ready for delivery, while an additional three are expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The remaining four are slated for delivery in early 2026.

The helicopters will enhance troop mobility, reconnaissance, medical evacuation, and rapid-response operations, complementing the jets’ strike and surveillance capabilities.

This acquisition, alongside additional purchases of helicopters and support systems, is central to Nigeria’s effort to modernise and expand the Nigerian Air Force’s operational reach.

The timing of the procurement coincides with Nigeria’s persistent internal security crises. The country continues to grapple with a decade-long jihadist insurgency in the Northeast, widespread banditry in the Northwest, and complex communal violence across the Middle Belt.

These overlapping threats have strained governmental resources, displaced communities, and eroded investor confidence across West Africa.

The enhanced air combat, surveillance, and precision-strike capability offered by the M‑346FA fleet is designed to strengthen he nation's response to these entrenched security challenges.

Regional dynamics and Benin incursion

This military build-up is unfolding against a backdrop of increasingly volatile regional politics. Nigerian forces recently intervened in a coup attempt in neighbouring Benin, where mutinying soldiers briefly seized key installations in Cotonou.

Deployed at the request of Benin’s government, Nigerian air and ground units helped neutralise the threat and restore constitutional order, reinforcing the nation’s role as a security guarantor in West Africa.

The intervention, authorised by Nigeria’s Senate, highlights the country’s willingness to project force beyond its borders as coups and democratic backsliding spread across the Sahel and coastal West Africa.

Within this context, Nigeria’s shift towards sourcing military hardware from Italy reflects a broader recalibration of its defence procurement strategy.

Italian defence firms offer modern and reliable aircraft, armoured vehicles, and naval systems that are often more cost-effective than those of traditional suppliers.

The move also signals an effort to diversify away from heavy reliance on U.S., Russian, or Chinese equipment, reduce procurement delays, and deepen ties with European partners that provide technology transfer and long-term maintenance support.

As Nigeria inducts its new air combat platforms, the coming year is likely to be decisive for both its internal security posture and its standing as a leading regional security power. (Business Insider Africa)

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