Nigeria wants to procure Scorpion ISR and light attack jet Nigeria is considering acquiring the Textron AirLand Scorpion light strike and surveillance jet as it looks to combat Islamist militants operating within its borders, a senior air force official disclosed on 18 November. Speaking under the Chatham House Rule at the IQPC Fighter Conference in London, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) officer said that the Scorpion would be very well suited to the west African countrys current struggle against the Boko Haram extremist organisation. Right now in the Nigerian Air Force we have equipment that is obsolete and with a low [availability], he said. The air force needs a rapid response capability, with a concentration of precision firepower. In our country we want [the Scorpion], and we need it. The official told IHS Janes that the NAF will make its case to the government shortly, and that it hopes to acquire a squadrons worth of Scorpion aircraft initially, although this number may rise in the future. The NAF currently fields a very limited offensive counterinsurgency (COIN) capability in the guise of 11 Chinese-built CAC F-7 fighters; as well as 21 Aero L-39ZA Albatros, 12 Alenia MB-339, and 12 Dassault/ Dornier Alpha Jet trainer and light strike platforms. It also fields seven Mil Mi-24 Hind assault helicopters. With the exception of the F-7s, which were acquired in 2010, the NAFs fixed-wing combat fleet dates back to the early 1980s and needs replacing. First unveiled in September 2013, the twin-seat and twin-engine Scorpion jet is billed as having a 450 kt top speed; and an internal payload (munitions and/or sensors) of 1,360 kg, with an additional 2,766 kg of external munitions on underwing hardpoints. According to Textron, the Scorpion is well suited to a variety of mission sets, including irregular warfare/COIN, border patrol, maritime surveillance, counter-narcotics, and air defence. Indeed, it is this multirole capability that has captured the interest of the NAF. Why we want the Scorpion is because it does [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] ISR and attack all in the one package, he said. Aside from its multirole capability, one of the Scorpions chief selling points is affordability - at less than USD20 million to procure and around USD3,000 per hour to operate (Textron figures), it costs a fraction to buy and field compared with other such jet platforms. Nigerian defence expenditure dropped sharply in 2014, making affordability a critical consideration in any new NAF procurement process. In April, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Adesola Amosu told a press briefing that the NAF had already selected a new combat aircraft. At that time, the Hongdu K-8 was considered to be a strong candidate given that Nigeria had already bought F-7NI and the K-8s suitability for supporting COIN operations. However, the officials disclosure at the IQPC conference would suggest that the Scorpion may now be the frontrunner for this requirement. janes/article/45858/nigeria-wants-to-procure-scorpion-isr-and-light-attack-jet
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 06:07:17 +0000
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