GABORONE, Botswana — CAE Aviation has offered to provide the Nigerian Air Force with full turnkey airborne ground surveillance and reconnaissance services and to aid maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaisance (ISR) operations.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated to reflect the correct name of the company.]
The company's offer to the Nigerian military top brass was tabled by CAE Aviation Managing Director Luc Audoore during a recent symposium, which was held in Abuja to assess ways of boosting the country's ISR capabilities, called under the theme: "Nigerian Defence Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Capability Upgrade Program."
Audoore said the Air Force NAF stands to benefit from CAE Aviation's customized air support operations, which include airborne ground surveillance, AGSR services, training of crews, maintenance and mechanical or technical modifications to existing aircraft. He said the package offers certified aircraft with crew for gravimetry, bathymetry, magnetometry and other survey operations capability.
He said all CAE Aviation aircraft can be adapted to the customer's specific needs in terms of survey equipment, endurance, communication and modifications, which may include the installation of systems to support the operation of imagery software.
AudooreThe MD said apart from AGSR, CAE Aviation also can also provide the Nigeria with specialized aerial survey operations and military para-dropping. and L-3 Wescam Official Distribution, Integration and Service Center services.
These capabilities could AGSR component can help the Nigerian maritime authorities with toeffectively carry out effective border control, maritime survey, pollution control, anti piracy, fire detection and monitoring, internal security and anti-smuggling operations.
Nigerian Army chief of training and operations, a Maj. Gen. Bonna Awala, urged CAE Aviation to the continue consultations with the Nigerian Air Force as there are many potential areas of mutual cooperation.
The Nigerian Air Force has operational but limited operations collaborations with Caveron Helicopters. Since 2010, Nigeria has embarked on a program to revive its aerial defense capabilities. It includes the refurbishment of old air force planes and the acquisition of new aircraft to improve the ISR capabilities of the air force.
Email: onkala@defensenews.com
