1a.
1b.
1c.
Otokar Cobra APCs
2.
Nigerian mortar crews and a Toyota Landcruiser gun truck
3.
Nigerian troops in a Toyota Landcruiser gun-truck
4.
Nigerian regular and special forces soldiers in a Landcruiser gun-truck(far left), Landcruiser troop carrier(middle) and a Ford Ranger truck (right)
5.
The ideal and the non-optimised: An essential Toyota Landcruiser troop carrier(r) and a Toyota Hilux patrol truck(m) and a Landcruiser gun-truck. Notice the device near the left side of windshield of the Landcruiser? That keeps it going in the desert without getting bogged down. Neither the Hilux nor the Ford Ranger have that feature. As such, they should be deployed in urban and coastal operations only, IF inevitable.
6.
6b.
Otokar Cobra APCs lead a convoy of Landcruiser gun-trucks and Hilux patrol trucks
7.
An Otokar Cobra APC leads a convoy of other vehicles
8,
Troops in a Toyota Hilux patrol truck
9,
A Chinese-built 5 ton truck
10.
Toyota Hilux trucks aplenty. A Landcruiser is pictured to the far left
11a.
11b.
11c.
11d.
11e.
11f.
11g.
Troops on patrol
12.
A Ford Ranger patrol truck
Beegeagle's Blog 
God please help us find the our girls and let us put america to shame! But guys i smell something fishy, america’s over reation to this issue! Guys are you not thinking what i am thinking
Well done beegs.
Maybe you could number the pictures. Makes it easier to point things out.
AT THIS STAGE I WILL MAKE a prediction eventually these girls will be found in bits and pieces NOT BY anyone else but by Nigerians. M Y FAITH WILL NEVER WAVER IN THE TOUGHNESS AND RESILIENCE OF Nigerians.
May the souls of those who departed finally have peace. AMEN.
Wondering why the authorities had to wait until we where humiliated by the Media before they realized that we should tell our own story. *smh*
On a side note, Oga Beeg how true is the report that the RAF Sentinel surveillance aircraft promised by David Cameron developed technical issues and had to stop over at Dakar Senegal for repairs. If so the UK defence cuts must have statrted biting had. LoL
Yeah Oga Pato, God nor dey sleep.
The Sentinel reportedly malfuctioned in Senegal. If that had been a Nigerian aircraft, it would at once be reported by the British media as being emblematic of the rot which besets the Nigerian military.
Excellent pictures.
About time.
I can see a slightly higher density of RPGs, and hand held PKMs in the mix.
The 60 mm mortar crew is also great.
But in observing the latest trends in battlefields from libya to yemen, we should maximize the firepower we can deliver down range.
Rather than use one truck both as a gun truck, and troop carrier, a much larger AA gun can be
Placed on the truck alone, manned by a single soldier.
The same can be done for a 107 mm multiple barrel rocket launcher.
So 2 massive ZSU-23-2s and 2 MBRLs would substantially boost the fire power available to such a unit.
Add 4 rugged big foot MRAPs to the mix, and they can chase BH to Yaounde.
I am fearful of the extents to which we have to cover! Why is the assumption being made that Sambisa is the entirety of our scope? However, even if the girls are not to be found in Sambisa, surely the intel to be found there will be vital nonetheless.
Beautiful! It took us a slap in the face by foreign media to realise that we have to tell our own story.
The motar RPG and more comm. radios is a welcomed and much needed addition.
Where are the NA IFVs? The Btr-3 and all? Four of these deployed with this unit to provide fire support would be great. I am glad that flak jackets are becoming a basic staple with the NA.
However ,more attention should be paid to the kits. I see no nvgs, grenades or webbings. This habit of straping three magazines to a rifle must stop. A soldier needs about eight clips of ammo for adequate fire power. In Iraq we had nine sometimes.
Those big foot Mraps should be purchased in adequate numbers and deployed to the field.
Lolz — Bros dem no go wear NVG for day time now.
Anyway your point is well made and taken.
Ozed
I understand. I don’t mean to sound over critical. But I see no evidence of nvgs in the pictures even if they are going to be worn at night. Where is the nvg mount on their ballistic helmets? In the night there is going to be pitch black darkness everywhere and trust me you don’t want be in a fire fight in such a situation. The only way to tell the position of the enemy in such a situation is from the muzzle flash of their weapon
Pic 8, soldier on far left..sniper rifle?
i love my army.pls NOA pls we need mor od dis
good pics. DARP please be proactive and tell the army story without shrouding everything in secrecy and east germany style press release.
the picture with the mortars are really awesome. we just need to up-gun those AFVs and trucks. 7.62mm MG doesnt cut it. they should all be armed with 12.7mm HMG, AGLs and heavier cannons. light MRLs would be good for this theatre too.
VIVA NA!!!
Great operational photos. BTW I see quite a lot of cobras, how about the Oshkosh APCs. Never seen them even though we are listed as users.
Maybe also the dedicated heavy APCs like the Spartan MK 3 were drafted to the army rather than the police forces.
Soft soil and marshy soil!
Tracked and amphib APC/ IFV. or all terrain vehicle like Sisu-Nasu for quick movement will be an advantage in those regions.
Hovercraft will also work well.
Heavy vehicle will get bogged down in the soft soil.
But for small distances, foot patrols are good.
although late, nice PR. but permit me to point out areas that show lack of vital equipments needed for this kind of operation. (i stand corrected)
1) troop transport : maybe beegs didn’t see it but I saw some pics of some of the gun trucks getting stuck in some extremely muddy roads (pic 9). this is not good because it slows down the operation. the gun trucks also exposes the troops to mine traps. which is very typical in such incidence the insurgents know you are coming.
More MRAPS+Cobras should have been used for this kind of operation for easy movement and protection.
2)glider drones : should have been used to monitor areas covered by troops on foot patrol because where the drone go reach dem no fit. since the AOR seen in the pics are mostly open lands which are too vast for foot patrol.
this kind of search and rescue is for areas ariel surveilance can’t visualize properly. trees and thick bushes. (pic 6,b, 11b,d,e). it will save a lot of resources and energy
3) aside from comm. and body armour with a few RPGs, these guys are not well equipped should in case they encounter heavily armed insurgents that have laid ambush.
aside from the mortar crew, there’s no heavy fire power.
each troop should have at least 4-5 hand grenades, 5-6 mags.
what if a unit is ambushed. how will they hold it back before backup arrives? and what if the back up gets stuck in mud with their pickups?
no doubt that i admire their courage but the higher ranks need to be more strategic in special operations like this. this isn’t just some patrols.
well, I no sabi reach our oga sojas sha. but capabilities are seriously lacking in the army.
2015 is just tomorrow and we haven’t built the capabilities to prepare for such ocuurence. whether it happens or not we need to have a policy of proactive measures rather than being reactive as usual.
boko haram na small thing. what if something happens that activates hundreds of tribal militias waiting for kasala to burst nko?
my 2 kobo.
@Oga Beegs, thanks a lot for this pictures from NOA! Good job !
My colleague here in the UK asked me about what happening in Nigeria and i just turned my screen and showed him these pictures.
We are not there yet, but its not like the western press is making it out to be.
God bless Nigeria and the Nigerian military!
Folks, please spread the word on twitter, FB etc.
Nigeria retain holdings of the following tracked armoured carriers
Spartan APC – 49 units
MT-LB – 67 units
Steyr 4K-7FA – about 200 units
(some of those were seen on NTA News in the Niger Delta revving furriously and getting on in those marshlands during the Gunboat War)
Any of those would cope well in marshy areas of the Northeastern AOR.
Ideal for this kind of search would be VERTICAL ENVELOPMENT.
AKA helicopter mobile units.
Let the drones do the tedious searching, if we spot something of interest, 10 mi-17v5s, each carrying 30 well equipped troops, could fly over all the difficult terrain, and land 300 crack troops in a pre ordained LZ.
While the search is going on, about 2 to 4 mi-35M attack helicopters would hover above, for close air support.
Nigeria simply has to spend money on troop ferrying helicopters, whether we like to or not.
I mean SPLA has 10 mi-17s brand new, Ghana has 7 and counting, and we in Nigeria are counting our pennies.
Since 2008, the indian army air corps, have acquired about 150 mi-17V5s for this sort of operations.
NA needs to go for 100 choppers if not more.
We are going to need an air mobile capability in all our current and emerging crisis.
The niger delta, jos plateau, the northeast, and in our pirate infested coastal waters.
To be fore warned, is to be fore armed.
@Blackrev. I saw them and thought there was no need to belabour the self-evident point. Those were TOYOTA HILUX and FORD RANGER troop transport vehicles. NONE of those was a TOYOTA LANDCRUISER, which are all 4WD and optimised for desert operations, never mind less challenging turfs.
Elsewhere in the thread comparing MRAPs, I already advised that those, with the exception of the very rugged Landcruiser troop carriers and gun-trucks, be pulled back from the sandy precincts of the Far Northeast. You do not need them there at all.
RESTRICT their deployment to liaison duties at the rear, between towns linked by paved roads and for urban patrols carried out in the shade of BigFoot MRAPs and Otokar Cobra APCs.
In the rugged terrain of the remote, conflict-impacted districts of the Far Northeast where the terrain is a mix of desert, highland and marshland, you DO NOT need any other soft-skinned utility vehicle except the Landcruiser 4WD trucks.
Helicopters for mobility of troops would be a welcome addition, although one has to be aware of hand held SAMs coming into the frame and ant-aircraft guns which BH are known to posses and used to damage a helo in the past. Could account for the more cautious use of helos at the moment, because it would be a big propaganda coup for BH should a helo be brought down not to talk of the loss of troops in one go.
It wouldn’t be the first time BH would have ambushed troops and the use of scout helos and spotter planes would be essential.
Our soldiers are undertaking a tough and mostly thankless job in the North East.
It is clear that the NA is being asked to do a lot with only the most basic of equipment.
It is clear that the kitting of our troops can be greatly improved.
Just looking at one picture, (11a), you can see three different types of uniforms and two types of ballistic helmets.
A lot has to be done to recapitalize the NA.
The pictures that show the Lake Chad basin also show that the troops there have not been specifically equipped for that environment. We should probably send an Amphibious battalion from the delta to the lake Chad basin.
Finally, there are no helicopters in the pictures. The terrain is vast, the troops need to work with helicopters, but not necessarily as transport.
Not included in this set of pictures are the ones that show the troops using canoes leased or borrowed from the locals.
Get rid of the foreign press, that is exactly what Algeria did.
boko homos don’t need to do propaganda for themselves anymore, the foreign press does it for them. Get rid of these vultures.
Oga Igbi Algeria also reequipped to the tune of 15 billion usd.
Give me that, I ‘ll throw out the press for you. (LOL)
Seconded. And incorporate a “Marshall Plan” driven by tech transfers in that spending to ensure long-term impacts are generated. I’ve stated this same opinion on the pages of this blog before
I’m sorry, but there is nothing good, beautiful or excellent in these photos.
It shows our gallant troops needlessly exposed to un-necessary, un-avoidable danger. How is it that we don’t have the most basic motorised protection for our troops.
This is the exact same reason why troops mutinied in the north-east and drove their GOC to exile.
If we claim we can’t purchase new equipments, can’t we purchase 2nd hand MRAP’s from countries willing to sell.
There are the Proforce leopard ICV which provide protection against small arms fire ( AK-47’s and GPMG’s), the C.E.O did disclose his company can produce 450 Leopard ACV’s per year, this vehicle and the IGIRIGI APC should be our basic transport.
I don’t just know what our problem is in nigeria. We fail to carry out the most basic requirement of a national army.
We claim to produce NVG’s, but it isn’t clear who actually use the NVG’s we produce.
We claim to make 7.62 ammo, but troops don’t get more than 3 clips per man.
Again, no standardisation in our military, a mix of camo’s, different bulletproof vests, kitting is still poor, only S.F troops get any semblance of webbing.
Of course we understand that their are challenges as regards to financing, but we’ve been singing this discordant tunes for over 4 years now,” when are we going to make actual progress?”.
My hope, like everyone else is, the hope that we bought the MRAP’s in considerable numbers. At the very least 200.
The photos show NA in tough conditions but still getting on with the job.
In my comments I did not encourage the troops and the PR personnel that actually released the photos.
I should have.
Please, we need more photos like these and much less of generals attending “state functions.”
The more we show the war, as is, the more people will understand how tough it is to be a Nigerian security personnel at this time in our history.
Yeah, Oga henry,
like oga asorockweb, I will say the PR attempt was excellent or at least give ’em an A for effort.
As for the rest of your critique, I concur.
Sir Beegs,
Thanks for sharing these pictures! They are a parthetic sight though. Why would our gallant soldiers be deployed in landcruisers and hillux trucks? SHAME! These guys should be transported in IFVs and MRAPS? Why don’t we have a mixture of platforms here? Why don’t we have a couple of scorpion light tanks thrown in?
As it is, if Boko haram guys chose to stay and fight to finish with RPGs and MGs, our soldiers would suffer heavy casualty. It takes more than sheer gallantry to fight and win a war!
Nice pics oga beeg. There is a report on sahara reporters that NA know where the girls are located. For the first time, the report had positive info about the NA. But such information should have been kept under the wraps. I cant post the lik here.
Eniola im thinking what you thinking. Three years ago the CIA predicted a possible breakup of NigeriaIn 2015. Is it a coincidence that Boko Haram attacks have been fiercier and deadlier at a time when the American media is convenintly ignoring the positive aspects of this fight and idolizing boko haram, giving them exclusive sir play. The most powerful man in the world is African. America’S BIGGEST trading partner in Africa is Nigeria, we are the 5th largedt supplier of crude to the United States yet Obama is unbelievably disengaged and clearly will not even give stern verbal condemnation if he had his way. Hillary Clintons only speech on Boko Haram was lackluster
It is in my understanding three years ago the CIA and Nigerian authorities asked the U.S to label Boko Haram as a terrorist organization but strangely refused. After the Christday bombing again there were request made for the U.S to declare Boko Haram a tertorist organization and a clear and present danger to the subregion and the world at large, she refused.
Today it is France of all countries that is taking visible steps to cone to the aid of Nigeria not just with words but action as the Paris security meeting entailed. Our colonial fathet Great Britain might be in Mars for all we know. Nigerian shoppers single handedly saved the British retail sector in 2012.
As Vladimir Duthier and co continue adding fuel in a clever bit of subtefuge to the situation resulting in more violence (Shekau annot believe his luck. Even Al Queda never had it this good) sooner or later the violence will progress down South neccesitating the need for ” American ground forces to protect the nations vast oil wealth”.
Comrades there is a parralell here, things are getting really bad pretty fast not in a natural progression but an engineered one. God forbid these guys gets hold of Chemical Nerve agents.
There will never be any violence in the south, There is no room for that. The armed forces and secret services have the entire cooperation of the south. And The efforts of the armed forces keep increasing. As I keep saying, it is not out of goodness of the heart that boko haram didn’t do anything in the south, it keeps trying but it can’t. All it can do is say rubbish in videos. But still pro-activeness is the best answer. Please can we just stop this macabre predictions ?
http://www.channelstv.com/2014/05/21/army-seeks-more-funding-to-fight-boko-haram/
*Pheew* Finally the NA brass have found their voice and have started asking for more funds, like the NN.
Good to note @ originalpato. Air surveillance is almost constant in the North East to support troops operations, you can imagine 250 sorties in search for the missing girls just some weeks ago. One particular area we must improve is uniformity. BH has proven beyond doubt to possess army kits and equipment. Therefore, we need to pick out one colour of camouflage and have a new way of kitting troops. Secondly, I thought we had a satellite with a resolution of about 2.5meters, I also believe they can update command centres on current pictures of sambisa forest. I therefore ask if NASDRA has been useful in the war against terror.
My dear Cyberwarriors,
These pictures show the tenacity and doggedness of the Nigerian soldier at the face of daunting challenges, nothing else.
It is shamefull that Toyota Hilux and Ford Rangers are seen in this ‘confirmed hotspot and enclave’ of Boko Haram. Even if Hilux and Rangers are on the streets of Maiduguri and Yobe, they shouldnt be seen here at all. For God’s sake, BH has told the whole world that this is their base and “tresspassers would be eaten”. Who on God’s Earth authorised troops to go into this place in ‘sofskin’ pick-up trucks? These guys have parents, wives,kids etc. They are important to us!
Chai! Chai!! Chai!! There is God o!
I think our Military authority is taking the ‘die-hard, no-retreat-no-surrender, tenacity’ of the average Nigeria soldier for granted. Sebi a Mopol used his bare-hand to detonate an IED in full glare of camera in 2012 at his cost of his own life!. I think last week’s attack on the GOC of the 7th shows that our soldiers are not robots, they are humans too.
What is seen is shouldn’t be the norm, it should be an aberation.
Na beg we they beg you, as a matter of urgency;
1) Buy/borrow/lease/whatever 300 units of MRAPS of the BigFoot class for a starter. NA Engineers/Proforce to rollout another 500 units locally. They should run shifts to meet this target within one year.
2) Buy/borrow/lease/whatever 10,000 vests for these gallant troops. Abi the one displayed by DICON na only for show?
3)Buy/borrow/lease/whatever 2 squadrons of drones and get AFIT to roll out another 2 squads locally. Litter the battles space and Sambisa with them. Attempts by BH to bring any of them down with MANPARD will reveal their hideout which can be quickly triangulated/pinpointed by ATRs/Beechcraft and surrounded/hit.
4) Identify/man all illegal routes into the country. Hunting BH down without stopping their influx from Cameroun/Niger etc can be likened to pumping water out of a breached ship without sealing the entry hole. It will just be an exercise in futility. This will entail equiping the Customs/Immigration and Border guards.
5) National Identity Card agency has a lot of work to do. We need a database of all Nigerians and a valid means of Identification for all. This must be accorded the utmost priority.
All these will cost money, a lot of money. But we have tasted/seen what ‘competing needs’ theory can do to a nation that is fighting an insurgency, havent we?
We should assume that this war will take a long time prosecute, but we should attack it as if we want it finished ‘yesterday’. Attack all fronts.
I pause for now.
“Identify/man all illegal routes into the country”
That is not humanly possible.
Just take a look at the map.
What we should be talking about is building giant border walls, digging a giant ditch at the border and surrounding the border with land mines
I have just one question: Where are the helicopters?
Yessir !!
That is the right question.
Our nation is too vast, our borders are too porous.
There is nothing we can do about this fact in the short run.
So, our troops must be lethal, and extremely mobile, to track, close in/ out maneuver, and neutralize this very mobile enemy.
To do this we need helicopters.
Helicopters for vertical envelopment, and MRAPs for horizontal envelopment.
http://saharareporters.com/news-page/how-boko-haram-ambushed-killed-some-nigeria%E2%80%99s-finest-soldiers-near-sambisa-forest
I am short of words.What country is this?How can the politicians in this country be interested in money stealing than making provision for the right quarters.
I am just tired…
Given that the article is from sahara reporters, you should ask yourself which planet they are describing. sahara reporters don’t realy have a track record of truthfulness.
The story is true to a certain extent. However the figure quoted by Sahara contradicts the figures quoted in their YouTube channel. This is very sad indeed. I deliberately refused to post the video because I can stand the horror of its contents. To the fallen…you are our heroes.
You admit yourself that they contradict themselves. So what is your basis to claim there is a part of truth in their fabrication ? If you like I can also invent a story with obvious lies in it, then someone will come and defend my stor by saying it is true to a certain extent. I think it is best if we get serious and stop reading news papers which keep telling lies to further their agenda.
To some I may seem unpatriotic, but I do not want to enthrone mediocrity, if we have nothing of substance to show why show it.
Yes it shows Nigerian brave and gallant soldiers without the right assets trying their best, and if this is our best, we have just washed our dirty linen in public, the failure to equip and support our armed forces.
We have the largest economy in Africa and are troops are going around in soft skinned pickups with 7.62 MG’s and hundreds of troops with AK47’s, and yes there were a few light armoured Cobra’s. If this is supposed to be inspiring and a confidence builder it does none of those things what it does do, is highlight the very urgent need to make public protest about sending our boys into effectively what are suicide missions without the right assets.
You are going into Boko territory and I didn’t see any 50 cals or IFV’s or anybody with scopes on their rifles and or indeed anything that would make Boko scared to engage our guys. Perish the thought if a couple of Boko technical’s with 50 cals and 20 or 30mm opened up what would be the result. Let’s not even imagine not sure the Otokar can take a hit on its light armour from those technicals and survive.
Single file close formation of dozens of pickups trying to get the largest footprint doesn’t seem the best tactical formation. We need to understand that numbers does not automatically equal to military effectiveness, the right equipment, assets and infrastructural support will.
We should be using a good deal of tracked vehicles that won’t get stuck in the marshes complemented by other wheeled IFV’s and APC’s. I expect us to be going into Boko’s Sambisa with far superior fire power, standard transport should be Tracked IFV, Warrior, BMP3, Bradley, Puma etc and Wheeled APC/ IFV should be Patria, Piranha, Kodiak, Stryker, etc At no time should our troops be in any soft skinned vehicle in a battle zone.
Furthermore as a matter of great urgency we need to have full air support for our troops, attack and transport helicopters, supersonic attack aircraft, the current state of affairs is simply and totally unacceptable. I wonder if indeed with the help of our now Western friends they were able to pinpoint the missing Chibok girls can we respond with rapid expedience to extract them, do we really have the capacity?
It’s with these kind of assets that we can take territory have forward observation points and begin to carry out a predominance of night time operations in small mobile but well equipped units that can respond with rapid expediency and to devastating effect.
News flash, 80 US troops deployed to Chad to help operations under the guise of drone launch-and-recovery team. My suspicions are that these are US Special Forces that can be airlifted into Nigeria at a moment’s notice to extract these girls from multiple locations simultaneously , once they have the right intelligence, I will not be surprised if they have a fairly good idea where might be, lets watch the next few days and see.
http://time.com/108025/nigeria-chad-boko-haram-american-troops-obama/
http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/05/80-us-troops-are-headed-to-chad-to-search-for-the-kidnapped-nigerian-schoolgirls/371376/
I understand the fact that you think sahara reporters are not reliable in all their stories.But you should admit that seventy percent of the stories on their website are precise.
Interestingly if they do not work in Hollywood,how in God’s name did they fabricate this story.
Its just tiring.
OK, an other person coming up with numbers. How did you come up with 70% ?
And, do I really need to answer your last question ?
Are you really under the impression that only Hollywood can invent stories ?
Please let us get real.
Before u start dismissing the story, they mentioned the unit involved, the officers and the numbers of soldiers killed and the lone survivor. It is left for the army and ministry of defence to prove that this was a fabrication. Until then.
The thing which I don’t understand is why some people like quoting news papers which have severally proven to be unworthy of respect and to lack truthfulness and objectivity. How many times must one debunk sahara reporters. It is getting tiring. When will we understand one simple thing: do not quote those who have been caught so many times while they were lying. I am getting tired. Sahara reporters is not trustworthy, it is politically motivated and tells lies either to sell or to further its political agenda. So no, the report is a lie untill proven true, not the other way round.
I read the story.
It is fabricated. Most like by a Book Haram plant.
It is likely that there was fighting in the village mentioned but there are many gaps in the story.
The reason it’s likely to be a story planted by Boko Haram is because the Boko Haram fighters and their fighting capacity are praised, while the NA is disparaged.
“They burnt down the village and got into their buses to leave …” should have made you wonder. Doesn’t that describe a Boko Haram strategy? And yet, that was what the NA was supposed to have done.
The attempt to co-join the fabricated story with the mutiny at Maimalari barracks was also weak. This story say 70 soldiers died while returning from Chibok, but even the Sahara reports story on the Maimalari incident didn’t give such a high number.
All the attempts at details like the names of officers and unit designations were just thrown-in to add weight to the story.
@Julius, If stories like this from Sahara Reports upsets you, then just apply a little logically thinking and stop being such a victim – you also have the option of not reading Sahara reports.
Sahara Reports is just a money machine for the owners; they know the Nigerian mind-set.
Oga beeg, excellent pictures. Atleast we know something is been done. Just to add, the US has sent 80 troops in search of the missing girls ( I thought they said no boots on ground). Mouth don change. I just hope we find them first, otherwise, the disgrace go pass Liberia own. They will take all the glory and I am sure their UK partners will join with 100 troops as well. We need to put in all our A game into this.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/21/world/africa/nigeria-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
They sent the soldiers to Chad according to the report I read.
My guess would be:
that they have located the girls and they will not tell us until all is done.
Support personnel sent to Chad.
Or maybe they are “support” personnel sent to Chad 😉
I read it is air-force personnel.
I no longer believe that there is corruption in the Nigerian armed forces.
Given the meager resources the armed forces have been managing for decades, only ignorants can accuse the Nigerian army of being corrupt. I believe that it is possible that a few officers/soldiers may be corrupt but why blowing everything out of proportion. Many people confuse the Nigerian army with the Nigerian police and up until recently nobody was accusing the Nigerian military of being corrupt, but propaganda for terrorists has changed that situation.
Here the world has the photos, this is what a Nigerian soldier/officer does. These are good soldiers.
Oga doziex, for the effort the NOA get a “D”, you don’t wait for a bunch of foreigners to pressure you before you carry out your most basic function as an orientation agency.
Well may be after so much starvation or information black outs, by NA, one becomes overly grateful for crumbs.
Just b4 we fall over ourselves commending the French, remember that the ‘may’ have given BH perhaps up to $30+m in ransom money translating to major BH rearming, restocking, welfare and pay for mercenaries and look where we are! I’m surprise that we are not piling pressure on them and didn’t demand that they either come hold that meeting in Nigeria and/or give us more VLBs and Puma etc as penance! As for sats, how many of the most sophisticated image sats can see through a forest? Let’s be real abeg! Concerning the kitting of our boys, u just hit the head, I’m surprised that till now we don’t have a pair of new uniforms restricted to the NE? We should be able to distinguish a NA soldier from a distance and that entails everything about him from his helmet to his boots! Restrict this to the NE and we can let the AK go now pls and perhaps not replace it with and AK like rifle! I’m not arguing for the m4 but the Israeli galil ACE and the Serb zastava M21(all of the AK’s strength non or little of it weakness) come to mind along with RPG 22 instead of 7! If we want more round per soldier, we need to start thinking of 5.56mm round! All of these will be disruptive to BH and their sympathizers in the NA and thought it will stress and stretch our logistics, imagine the havoc it will wreck on BH supply considering that a potion of their arms and munition comes from us either corruptly or captured! The point being that we should be able to distinguish btw BH and NA from a distance, that could save lives and not a few!
I can’t recall the international media giving these names to the Syrian army or the Ukrainian army or even that of Mali. And in the first case a portion of Syria was taken over by the terrorists while Ukraine’s army was unable to stop civilians from overthrowing their government and finally, the Malian army ran away from its entire north and left it for terrorists. Yet it is us they keep calling names while we hold our ground and the terrorists keep running-away/hiding.
It is very unfortunate that some people feel that the picture showing the troops in those plastic toyota’s is good. Those politician in Abuja all cruze around in armored suv’s. But our gallant troops are provided with inferior equipement and gear. And yet we expect them to perform miracles; The point is clear the Nigerian Government don’t value the life of its Troops talk less of ordinary civilians!.
Sirs, @doziex and I shared a view on the other thread about Jos 118 bomb blast victims. Nigeria must avoid a civil war, check war history, some started this small way.
Several political and spiritual sources predicted since 1999 that Nigeria will break up in 2015, has anyone read what the Yoruba elders are saying ?
http://www.punchng.com/news/yoruba-groups-insist-on-regional-autonomy-2/
A stitch in time, saves nine.
Please can we get Senate committee on defense members to read this blog daily?
Nice photo PR from those NA images in NE action, it is good to show the world that we are making efforts to find our beloved 300 kidnapped girls.
I have a funny feeling that these girls may not be in Nigeria at this time, just a feeling, no proof.
Well, I am not happy to see Cobra APC with a 5.56mm light machine gun….more like a police force chasing armed robbers.
Year 2015 the world has advanced, we need modern firepower multipliers like Automatic multiple long range Grenade launchers and electro-optical targeting sight 14.5mm heavy machine guns on our Toyotas and APCs.
Proforce can up-armour all our NA Toyota 4×4 technicals, it is cheap to do locally.
Cobra get’s stuck in mud, what if they were running from superior enemy attack?
Then have we swept under carpet the Cobras and VBLs that Boko is driving around town?
Stolen or captured? I will keep quiet if nobody wants to talk about it.
To avoid Cobra in mud stuck and immobile, I think we should have fielded our Steyr 4K 7FA or MT-LB tracked….I pity some countries that have no tracked armoured vehicles.
I have elected not to talk harsh on the NA’s top cadre. The NA retains Steyr 4K 7FA and MT-LB tracked vehicles in it’s holden; I encourage them (NA authorities) to dispatch to the units shown on the NOA NE pictures Steyr 4K 7FA and MT-LB tracked vehicles. Those pictures did exactly what this Blog has been advocating for a long long time: “NA tell your story”. However, the pictures betrayed the real and present danger the terrain exposes our valiant troops to: the environment is a potential quagmire; the hopeless/useless Hilux Vans and Ford Rangers, and even the Otokar Cobra APCs, are getting bogged down in the marshland of the NE; presenting our troops as seating targets to the enemy. What is urgently required are tracked vehicles with reasonable armor for those courageous troops doing the dirty and thankless job. Again, there is urgent need for more fire power, riffles and GPMGs are good, but not adequate for this battle; please arm the troops with 50 cals, grenade launchers and the improved RPGs. Additionally, those troops must have hand held drones (they are not expensive), they must have forward situational awareness to warn them of the enemy lurking in wait. Finally, it is good to hear the NA management asking for more funding; keep at this, sustain the canvassing by coopting some members of the National Assembly (there are still good once amongst them) and be clever about it like the Navy did: “a closed mouth don’t get fed”.
@Everybody, food for thought….
http://www.punchng.com/news/without-enough-funds-we-cant-defeat-bharam-army/
Don’t understand why there are so many different military uniforms and schemes. Either desert camo or better still go digital. This is enough to confuse especially the locals differentiating friendlies or foes.
Simply no money to buy uniforms. See the links on the army’s budgets for more info
Nigerians all feel they are entitled to their opinions about the military while most of them know nothing about the military. They keep comparing the military budget with that of their fathers and think that the little budget is actually very big. Well that budget is not enough for a Military, when will everybody understand this:
For a nation of the size of Nigeria and with as much problems, nothing less than 20 billion dollars would be enough for the military to meet expectations.
So Nigerians what do you want: a military which saves your lives or a military whose budget makes it look like a scout boys club.
Oga peccavi, e bi like say you dey correct o
All of a sudden, that APC doesn’t look like a Mowag piranha nor grizzly.
It may be a new APC all together.
Nigerian army infantry weapons in the above video by @camouflage1984 is the same as Boko Haram’s calibre of weapons, so no superiority, no master, no winner, no champion, no wonder why we have a 4 year old war stalemate.
Oga beeg, the recruitment into the army has commenced. Recruits, short service combatants and direct short service combatants. The army spokesman says applications for recruitment ends in june. He asked all able bodied men willing to serve the country to apply. I guess the recruitment will be fast and they will all be in training by august/sept. I hope that applicants especially from north are thoroughly screened to avoid recruiting boko haram members or sympathisers into the army. I know they may want to use this opportunity to embed a few people in our security apparatus.
Well stated.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/boko-haram-don-t-destroy-the-military-army-pleads/179141/
Good morning cyber generals. Please read this to see the budgetary challenge being faced by the army amongst other things.
Russell is Muraina saying that basics like helmets and ballistic vests had not been provided before soldiers were deployed. Also I was under the impression that DIC produced vests here in Nigeria I am sure at fraction of the costs he’s talking about.
$1000 for ballistic helmet and body armour is pretty cheap.
NA does not provide body armour and ballistic helmets to all 100,000 soldiers. They should, but I guess that will have to be taken from their capital budget.
The point of the article was to show how under resourced the NA is.
The NA has to be recapitalised, from basic kitting to MBTs.
The air force also needs to be recapitalised.
Hmmm,
I wonder which beegeagle blogger, is that Message 66.
Anywho, great stuff who ever you are.
Tellem wah guan blood.
I posted a response to this discourse yesterday evening and quite surprisingly it’s not here, I want to assume it got lost in transit.
These photographs are part of our PR strategy to show the world how well we are progressing in this war against Boko, to show ourselves in the best light possible as well as our quest to get our girls back.
We can decide to in the name of blind patriotism to say fantastic great pictures we are winning and be delusional about this whole thing.
Firstly Nigeria soldiers are clearly not at fault, their bravery commitment to the task is not in doubt as indeed the huge sacrifices that have been made by our gallant soldiers.
However, to see us with a couple of Cobra’s numerous soft skinned pick-ups and 7.62 MG’s, couple of mortars ( far from precision weaponry) and all armed overwhelmingly with AK47’s , I didn’t see any 50 cals on our pickups just the 7.62’s way too light also no scopes. If the truth must be told these pics do not inspire confidence.
Why on earth are we wading in the marshland getting bogged down in the muddy terrain obvious sitting ducks for any Boko technical’s and their techs are packing 50cals, 20,30mm cannons, beggars belief. I didn’t even see any one with a scope on their rifle, we don’t look like a search and rescue force, where is the air support. There seems to be a misplaced assumption that sheer numbers equates to effectiveness,not any more its precision weaponry, right equipment, infrastructural support and communications with the right intelligence
Solutions is clear we need at least 20 Helis (with thermal imaging equipment, etc), we should have supersonic fighter aircraft to support our troops when needed at the very least. Finally under no CIRCUMSTANCE should troops be in soft skinned pickups, we should have a number of tracked IFV like the BMP3, Warrior, Bradley M2, etc Wheeled APC’s Patria, Kodiak, Piranha v, Stryker, Boxster etc.
It shouldn’t be hard to get a 1500 surplus armoured Humvees from Uncle Sam for next to nothing mounted with 50.cals will make Boko think twice about engaging us that with the Cobra’s should be minimum level troop transport. And if Uncle Sam won’t play lets speak to Uncle Igor, Tigre & Wolf can be picked up for less than $75k they are stanag 2 /3 rated.
Thank you for your POINTS KEEN2K much respect. i agree with nearly everything you have said. As a Nigerian American who considers it very important that Nigeria and America have stronger meaningful ties. America has no interest in selling us any any APC be they Bradleys Humvess let me break it down into the good the bad and the real ugly.
The GOOD
On the first day ( Good Friday) of the actual kidnapping G.E.J. received a phone call from B.H.O with offer of assistance this was turned down.Three weeks letter G.E.J. asked B.H.O. for help this was given priority.To date and as of yesterday There are two UNMANNED drones flying 24 hours over Nigeria in the Search for these girls with U.S. troops based in Niger and Chad .What type of commercial satellite Imagery they are passing on to their Nigerian Counterparts is Classified and no despite the criminally- negligent -ethic- deficient Sahara reporters are saying they have not located these GIRLS in substantial numbers.
end of part 1.
Don’t forget to add that Nigeria’s request to buy used, surplus equipment from Iraqi/Afghanistan was also turned down.
…and we cant look east or elsewhere?, abegi
@Deway.
We should get all we need from anywhere we can.
Jimmy its at this stage political leadership counts( HAVE WE GOT ANY) and the inherent leverage that comes with it. The US needs to understand without any doubt, that a strong politically stable Nigeria is essential to their interests, Nigeria has overwhelming influence over the West African region.
Its about GEJ pushing forward our agenda for goodness sake we are a major trade partner to the US, we need to demand that surplus hardware and if Obama will not play ball, we find new partners.
With regard to surplus equipment we can get surplus Leopard 2 tanks, TPz Fuchs APC( probably less than what we paid for those Toyota land cruisers). From the Germans your talking 25k a unit and as you know most German assets have hardly been used and for sure will be well maintained, furthermore what would you rather have a 6/7 year old German car or a brand new Chinese one.
We need to put a value on the lives of our troops and thats about the equipment we send the into the battlefield with.
asorockweb do you have it on good authority that GEJ requested and was denied and any reasons and or conditions given ?
Kenee2k, it has been previously mentioned on this blog.
I believe the info came out during an interview that (NBC?) had with a lobbyist that the Nigerian government was paying.
Fellow cyber generals,
Please let us stop drooling over “western” or American equipments as if our future or success depends on it. Excess defense articles from the USA is not our birth right neither are we entitled to any form of assistance from them.
At best american weapon systems are over rated thanks to an effective and dynamic propaganda machine – the western media. For every weapon system in the arsenal of the USA that we crave there are cheaper and more effective equivalents in other countries. Why do we choose to settle for less? Why do we still recommend that our decision makers take a look at the bone yard or ask for excess defense articles? Are we so desperate for equipment and platforms for our military that we look at the short term? What happens when a hawkish regime that is opposed to american interests is in power?
President GEJ, Sir Ruben Abati, Sir David Mark if you are reading this please know that AMERICA IS NOT OUR FRIEND, NEITHER IS HER INTEREST IN CONSONANT WITH OURS. It is against the interest of the Nigerian state to request for or accept used stripped down equipment with strings attached on its deployment and armament because “they are superior”,”cost effective” or “becausethey want to help” .
If we form this as a habit, how will our domestic defensec industry grow? Does this “dash” of equipment come with any memorandum on tech transfer? What happens during periodic depot maintenance in the case of aircraft s?
If we want to move foward, I say we give the USA the middle finger and look else where…look east! Look at those who are willing and able to do business with us on our own terms! Peace and security does not come cheap, so the FGN should do the needful and recapitalize all arms of the military and police with new, qualitative platforms and equipment with some percentage of local input. This will pacify the economic purist (I am looking at you madam Okonjo) by creating jobs in effect contributing to economic growth.
My two cents.
American military hardware except ships wouldn’t happen citing Human rights abuses. Unless if current appeals to the state department to waive their codes is lent a listening ear. Even at that expect only very specific hardware vital to the battle against BH.
At this crunch time, I’ll advise buying hardware with technology transfer, also there should be a sort of R&D team taking lessons in this current theatre in order to adapt and proffer modifications for future engagements like SA during their border war.
Well said.
I agree with the bulk of the comment.
But I am not anti-America, neither am I pro-America.
Nobody is attacking america here. I am not pro or anti american, my only interest is Nigeria. America is just an other foreign country to me.
Dear politicians, why do we beg for used military goods that we were embarrasingly turned down, . What is earthly wrong for a bold procurement of 2 destroyers, 2 frigates, 4 corvettes, 150 T90 tanks, 300 TCVs, 5 attack drones, 24 SU 27, 12 SU 30MKII, 15 Mi35M.
Dear politicians, why do we beg for used military goods that we were embarrasingly turned down, . What is earthly wrong for a bold procurement of 2 destroyers, 2 frigates, 4 corvettes, 150 T90 tanks, 300 TCVs, 5 attack drones, 24 SU 27, 12 SU 30MKII, 15 Mi35M.
ogaGT8 una dey try i beg make una no vex SINCE I POSTED THIS MORNING work no gree me post the bad and the ugly.
The bad ( Nigeria’s portion) ( part 2) why do we beg as ogaGT8 has said and I quote this is the ugly that we inherited from BABA SEGE who is really to blame when it comes to lack of proper procurement especially for the ARMY. Nigeria was forced to buy APC DUE TO THE UN’S INSISTENCE we beg because we believe ( our politicians ) that we can get it for free and spend money allocated for procurement on something else.Until recently no army, air force chief ever spoke out about the need for procurement.I am a vocal critic of GEJ BUT IT A CRYING shame this man has spent than the last two presidents combined.American generals must shake their heads and wonder why it took a country that has more range rovers and mbz per sq mile in Lagos state than any where in the world 2 years with American aid to repair a single c-130.
No we need to buy three different types of helicopters we have the money but somehow we want to beg our way out of it. these helicopters need to bought with cold hard Nigerian cash no begging allowed .
The bad ( American portion) ” somehow you know if they just behaved like a good African country and respected human rights and gay rights and fought corruption ( look at Malawi) maybe we could give them a Bradley/ Humvee or two you know they spent $3 m on a lobby firm and got nothing for it”.
America fought two wars simultaneously which gave birth to GITMO, ABU GRAHIB and water boarding a word that was not in the lexicon before these wars were fought. A TINY LITTLE COUNTRY called Bahrain decided they wanted to join the Arab spring Saudi Arabia invaded and put it down ruthlessly not a pip from the AMERICANS why? because the Saudis can do that no body is going to say a word about Saudi Arabia and human rights ….. you know when they sign contracts for weapons it starts with A CAPITAL B The Saudis don’t do begging they just bring their check book along.
The way forward…..
Naija needs to constitutionally stop begging, they need to bring their Ghana- must- go- bag ( no apologies they too want to give us advice). No need to lobby there are others who will sell the same type of , APC same type of Helios : The Russian in need of hard cash will sell us the same type of APC and Helios, the Chinese will do the same , the Germans will do the same the Brazilians ditto. Do I really need to mention the French whose pm has visited Nigeria twice ?
Add an addendum about cuts to the stupendous salaries of Senate members and politicians. They don’t deserve such luxury with an underfunded military!
* HAS SPENT MORE THAN*
Nice shots of our troops in action. Generals, please re-distribute these on your various social media sites to generate support for our forces. Gen Beeg, any shots of NAF aircraft / crews supporting this mission? Please post them sir!
My Ogas I just stumbled on this piece by a french defense blog. It is the most earnest and objectives look at our efforts at combating Boko Haram. Very interesting and informative read
DEFENSE BLOG
How the Nigerian army tries to deal with Boko Haram
https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&nv=1&rurl=translate.google.com&u=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article_ARTJAWEB20140520192249_defense-boko-haram-armee-nigeriane-laurent-touchardcomment-l-armee-nigeriane-tente-de-faire-face-a-boko-haram.html&usg=ALkJrhhhFAL8mcyGDtTxj65sSvWdIASHkw
(English Translation)
Ogas,
Please can someone that understands french translate this? Google translate is making it hard reading…
Air force commanders in NE
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/photo-olukolade-visits-yola-maiduguri/
Detachment commander mi 35 helicopter, Air Cdre Remi Ekeh; commander, 75 strike group, Nigerian Air Force Yola.
Nice Pix. Off course it would have been nice if the troops were beautifully kitted and well ensconced in APCs, but all of us who have been following the Nigerian Army know that would be wishful thinking. In deed if the pictures showed perfect kitting and equipment, i would probably think it was contrived.
The other point and for me very frustrating aspect is the virtually complete absence of very cheap force multipliers which could be added on at very little cost, namely:
1. Snipers and sniper rifles — I get the impression and i hope i am wrong that the Nigerian Army encourages and enjoys a fair fight, and virtually regards snipers as criminal and murderous elements (a throw back to the attitudes which pervaded the british army in WWII). Obj’s tone of voice in his reference to the training of snipers in his letter to Jonathan sadly confirms this. Snipers are invaluable in this sort of war where the enemy is elusive and there is only a small window of opportunity to inflict maximum casualties on the enemy. Thus it is very sad we don’t seem to have embraced this aspect of warfare which really can be added to our arsenal at very little cost.
2. Very few hand grenades on display — You may argue that they don’t need to be on display, but trust me if you have them you tend to want them close at hand and easy to deploy. You wouldn’t keep them buried in your back pack. So we can safely conclude we dont have them. Now, why if not due to sheer negligence would we not have simple things like these, they are cheap and basic. The Mill 36 for example has barely changed since WWII. Why would DICON not be working 3 shifts churning these out for the war effort?
3. Complete absence of a cheap rifle launched grenade like the US made M79, again very cheap and basic. much lighter and cheaper than the RPG. The rounds are only slightly bigger than shot gun cartridges so you can carry more rounds. These should be deployed freely down to even section levels in this sort of conflict.
So while, the helicopters and APCs and MRAPs would be lovely (and am sure the Army will get these soon), the basic firepower available at the section level can be soooo much higher than it is today and we wouldn’t need to break the bank to achieve this. Am sure this isn’t rocket science!!
I think the Nigerian army has snipers in great numbers. OBJ was talking about civilian snipers, in other words assassins, by the way he left the army more than 30 years ago so I don’t think his state of mind is an indicator of what goes on in the army of today.
@ Oga Kenee2k. ‘…With regard to surplus
equipment we can get surplus
Leopard 2 tanks, TPz Fuchs APC
( probably less than what we
paid for those Toyota land
cruisers). From the Germans
your talking 25k a unit…’ How did arrive @ ur figure? That said, I’ve always asked why we don’t explore our relationship with the other Westerners/ Europeans apart from UK, US and France? The Germans are there, add Italy, Spain, Turkey, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Czech, slovakia etc to that list?
Why do we love complicated armament which will do no good in this asymmetric war, and will over time simply join our T-55s and Vickers Eagle tanks on the scrap heap?? !!
The only good they will do is serve as mobile artillery support, at the risk that they will get bogged down, get captured by the enemy and then become huge propaganda victories for Boko haram.
Lets get light, affordable and effective equipment and then when wee have put down this BH scourge we can get back to re-equipping for a conventional conflict.
Ifiok umoeka, the operative word in arms sales particularly in surplus equipment is international diplomacy.
Lets look at Germany a country with great aversion to war, but with huge stockpiles of military equipment that’s never really been used, with arguably the highest quality obtainable. I would rather have a used 5year old German engineered tried and tested vehicle than a brand new Chinese one, would you?
Finally how much trade does Nigeria do with Germany we have almost a $2 billion trade deficit with Germany, they are major trading partners and possibly better friends and willing to sell military hardware to us without questions only one problem for our politicians procurer’s ethically they will be completely transparent,no room for Egunje.
Germany has a hundreds of Leopard 2 tanks, TPz Fuchs APC, Boxsters APC’s, Puma IFV, ETC and in storage hardly used that are exceptionally reliable and will be operational for 16 years plus, furthermore we could buy in ridiculously high number ready to be dropped in theatre immediately.
Substantiation of costs;
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/desert-leopards-germany-selling-heavy-armor-to-the-saudis-06993/
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/desert-leopards-germany-selling-heavy-armor-to-the-saudis-06993/
British not as reliable but if you want to go bargain basement to protect our troops in the tracked Spartans instead of the suicidal pick-ups getting bogged down in the mud. With a bit of haggling direct from the MOD £10k a piece, see private wholesalers price below http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/,37,/65278/Spartan_CVRT_.htm
Oga Ozed, may I disagree! What we need to do is look @ our security needs both present and future vis what we have and draw up a plan of action stretch out for phased implementation! Why we start with the immediate, we should look @ the larger picture, think strategic!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27473428
Hey guys forget the story scroll down to the photo of the police officer
Please can someone identify this version of the ak-47 , on my recent visit to Nigeria, I personally saw quite a few policemen wielding this version.
The weapon system on the Otokar in 1b looks like and AGL, although it could be a 50cal.
Good on the NOA for getting this out there
Oga Jimmy, sorry but I read the story and I wouldn’t say I have anything against the writer! As for the AK, I think its the same one the blue beret uses!
And the bashing continues even in Africa…
“I have never called the United Nations to guard us. Me, Yoweri Museveni to say that I have failed to protect my people and I call on the UN: I would rather hang myself. We prioritized national security by developing a strong Army, otherwise our Uganda would be like DRC, South Sudan, Somalia or Nigeria where militias have disappeared with school children.
“It would be a vote of no confidence in our country and citizens if we cannot guarantee our security. What kind of persons would we be?” He said…..
Oga Julius, let’s not be in a hurry to judge the comments attributed to Museveni. The fact that the news was carried by Premium Times is enough to reason to be cautious! They know how to make things up and twist information.
that am afraid is a bitter pill however a Museveni will never rule Nigeria because only mischief will compare Uganda to Nigeria. period
How is that bashing, is it not what we’ve been saying? That said, Mr Museveni, have you ever heard of the LRA and what’s his name again…ehh yes, kony, Joseph kony. My interpretation is that while he may not be able to protect his people, he would never seek help! Hmm
Uganda still has part of its budget paid for by the western nations. He was “invited” into powers by the same western powers, . He honestly needs to CONCENTRATE ON HIS INTERNAL PROBLEMS and worry less .about that NIGERIA, even if we decide to DINE with the DEVIL that is OUR G——- problem not UGANDA’S.
Well in the course of the decades long civil war with the LRA, well over 20,000 children were kidnap and forced into either child soldiers or sex slaves and nations of the world especially the West did help Uganda grapple with that problem! Common did Museveni really say this?
Aboke abductions were the
kidnapping of 139 secondary school
female students from St. Mary’s
College boarding school by rebels of
the Lord’s Resistance Army on
October 10, 1996, in Aboke, northern
Apac District, Uganda…’ This I culled from wikipedia! Thus, BH may well have been inspired by these events in Aboke decades ago!
In fact a 2006 study estimated
that 66,000 children and youth had
been abducted over the course of the
20-year conflict
Ladies and gentlemen of the blog
I present to you the pick-up War photos
The Chadians with their pickups thrashed the Libyans with their tanks, APCs, artillery and airpower.
Its not what you have but how you use it
Oga add American, French and British TATCOM, sats and surveillance plane as well as stingers manpad, TOWs and milan AT missiles. They knew the location of the Libyan while the Libyans didn’t know theirs
Add French SF and jags, mirage F1s and 2000s