Nigerian Air Force Says Five More AW109 Trekker Helicopters Are Ready for Delivery
Leonardo has five more AW109 Trekker B helicopters ready for delivery to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), and the last two are due before the end of 2026, the NAF said on 22 October 2026. Three have already been delivered. The company also plans to send a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) team to Nigeria.
What the NAF said
The figures were given to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, by a Leonardo delegation, according to an NAF statement also carried by the Independent newspaper. The talks covered pilot training and “seamless induction” of the helicopters into service. Leonardo said its MRO team would support both the NAF’s helicopters and its fixed-wing aircraft.
The NAF did not publish the contract value or the total number ordered. The numbers it gave – three delivered, five ready and two to follow – add up to ten.
A day later the NAF announced the formal acceptance of three A109 Trekker Type B helicopters, serials NAF 586, 587 and 588, at 355 Rotary Wing in Ikeja, Lagos. They had been reassembled by NAF technicians working with the manufacturer’s technical partners. The NAF said they would support air mobility, surveillance and internal security operations. The statement dates the ceremony “6 October 2024”, and it does not say whether these are the same three aircraft described as delivered in the Leonardo update.
The aircraft
The Trekker is a light twin-engine helicopter in Leonardo’s AW109 family, according to the manufacturer. The NAF statements do not list the role equipment or armament fitted to its aircraft.
Other NAF talks this week
On 22 October Aneke also received a delegation from China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO), led by senior vice-president Qiang Wenyu. According to the NAF, they discussed air defence, radar coverage and technology transfer. Aneke cited the NAF’s “familiarity” with NORINCO systems. No order or agreement was announced.
Previous developments
On 17 October Defence Minister Christopher Musa said Nigeria was expecting ten attack helicopters, drones and other enablers, without naming types, as DefenceMENA reported in its story on the EU’s €20m European Peace Facility package for Nigeria. The NAF has not linked the Trekker deliveries to that statement. The service’s fixed-wing surveillance fleet is also under pressure, as covered in DefenceMENA’s report on Nigeria being left with a single ATR-42 maritime patrol aircraft. The AFRIDEX 2026 defence exhibition opens in Lagos on 26 October.
Sources
- Nigerian Air Force: NAF, Leonardo advance Trekker B deliveries, pilot training and maintenance support (22 October 2026)
- Nigerian Air Force: NAF strengthens airpower with acceptance of three A109 Trekker helicopters (23 October 2026)
- Nigerian Air Force: NAF, NORINCO deepen strategic partnership on air defence, radar coverage and technology transfer (22 October 2026)
- Independent (Nigeria): NAF, Leonardo advance Trekker B helicopter delivery (23 October 2026)
- Leonardo: AW109 Trekker product page
