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Beegeagle's Blog 
Ah ! Allah namu ! This Mi-35 Hind na killer o ! Huge FLIR and looks like it’s got a French F2 triple mode switch 20mm cannon….NAF has Rooivalk gun on a Hind ! Olorun wa o !
somebody bring water *faints*
Badass
WOW!!!!!!!
Somebody please bring me water, I have fainted oh.
Wow!!!
looking more like it, who needs the Apache Long-bow when we’ve got this !
Yankee can go eat his Cobra helicopter like noodles.
this one na real “yes we can”
After this war ends, Nigeria should sit down, plan and vote big money on a modern defense industry, see what South Africa has done. If DICON was moderately advanced in technology close to the level of South Africa, we would have turned all those our non-lethal vehicles, aircraft, drones, ships, boats, and helicopters into killer beasts instead of complaining about America refusing to sell.
Imagine what we can do if DICON is like DENEL, transform Cobra, Igirigi, Mowag, BTR-3, Steyr, Toyota 4X4, MT-LB, Spartan, Cessna, Beechcraft, Diamond, Albatross, Augusta, Puma, Andoni, X-38, even NNS Thunder into killer beasts !
Nothing like self reliance o !
Na who and who dey faint on my p’rade so 🙂 ? Una berra wake up…
Now the end game has kicked off. Na we and dem dis year…hehe. Wia all dem air aficionados – Ogas Solorex, Gbash10 and XNur44. What are these monsters that I see? The NAF have upped the ante. I pray that they reach for a used/new mix of twelve modernised Su-27/30 and thirty JF17s…not 40 JF17s please. Na beg we dey beg now. It has come to that.
Warfare is the source of all development…so said a German philosopher. Now I believe. The Nigerian military are taking on a lethal and truly contemporary shape.
Tis daybreak, gentlemen. Boko gonna see 99 this year..
@ Oga Henry and oga Boobytrap, i’m rushing out to get sachet water 🙂 LOL!
Oga Obix, there is something I left for you in the BTR-4 IFV thread.
Oga Beag, it’s done.
Oga Beeg We Shun for ur Parade, back n evenm better nna no one does it like u, Thanks abeg
This is beautiful……
NAF still dey sell application forms? Where is recruitment centre? I wan fly copter, make me too kill something with this flying beast.
Ambassador, send a copy of the above photo to USA Senate/White house and write at the bottom….”Thank you, we need NO Cobra helos”
I nickname this Hind version/upgrade : The Flying Dragon
hahaha, plenty hand signs to all the haters.. lololo
OLODUMARE!!!!
Nigeria haf vex. Finally. You wanna try?. Who born monkey?.
The gun and FLIR pod arrangement is similar to the type on the Algerian Air Force Mi-24/35 attack helicopters,these are the real Satan’s Chariot (Shaitan-Arba) as the Afghan rebels used to call the Mi-24E Hind attack helicopter flown by the Soviet in Afghanistan. More fire power for the NAF.
INDEED
One of the chaps from that SA firm who modernised Algeria’s huge fleet of Hinds and Mi-8s once wrote to let me know that what we thought was an Algerian Terminator was actually a Mi-8 which they modernised for the North Africans.
It was thereafter that one began to call for our Hinds to be modernised in SA as well. Lemme see if I can find something to that effect..
ELSEWHERE ON MARCH 1, 2014, BEEGEAGLE WROTE:
At this point, can we take a look at a vastly modernised variant of the Mi-24, thanks to upgradation by ATE, known as the Super Hind?
If a US$1.5-2 million upgrade package on each helicopter can be firmed up, it should be a great way to make all our Mi-24V and Mi-35P more capable, day-night vision compliant and as close as possible to the standards of the Mi-35M
Gentlemen, the Super Hind for your perusal. Portends a new lease of life for our in-service Mi-24V and Mi-35P attack helicopters, if you ask me.
http://www.guncopter.com/super-hind/
It has been in service for the past 4 months
impressive ,lets rain hell on BH
Good evening all my ogas. been following proceedings on this blog for almost two years , but what can a small kid like me contribute among such seasoned generals like y’all . ur persistence has caused a couple of katakata among top brass .I wish you could listen to them when they argue and make reference to this blog . pls keep this standard up .
lol technically does this mean its a Nigerian variant
Mi-35Ni…lol..
What a mean-looking machine!..
Shekau will die running.
I am willing to bet these helos have night fighting capability.
All NAF needs to add on these Mi-35 copters is cheap second hand Ataka missiles from Russian stocks as air to surface precision guided munitions . Boko Haram will flee to Cameroon !
Generals, go to Channels TV, the will show the arrival of NNS Okpobana now!!!
Good job beeg! I guess this is a sign of greater things.
Mean machine. Mi 35/Super Hind?
Special appeal to NA, NAF, NN, FG, MoD :
Please don’t run away from buying missiles, after spending/appropriating about $3 Billion on weapons/equipment procurement in the past 6 months, we are yet to see one single missile purchase.
Almost every missile in Nigeria is about 30 years old, obsolete, and about expired, useless, dead.
Nigeria has NEVER bought one single laser guided bomb in our history.
This is modern day 21st century, we cannot spend so many billions of dollars on defense and yet Nigerian military looks like a bullet/cannon/dumb bomb/unguided rocket world war II force that cannot strike a precise target 10km to 100km away in the day/night to protect our territorial integrity.
Russia and China have in ready stock large numbers of cheap second hand guided missiles and guided bombs to offer Nigeria at half price…..some as low as $10,000 each.
Please put icing sugar on all our cakes and let the taste/value be complete.
Thank you, all powers at the top, we are putting our lives as 177 million Nigerians into your able hands….protect us maximally.
#faint.
we went for super-hind.
Now we are talking!! Jesu!! Boko Haram is in deep trouble oh! Happy hunting NAF.
You be the judge. We just posted a link above.
Yeh..this is truly obscene. True aerial beasts. Thank God we have them now.
To imagine that we still have twelve refurbished Mi-35P and a minumum of six units each of spanking new Mi-35Ms and Mi-171Sh Terminator helos coming to us beggars belief.
Damn..what have we been waiting for? Now we are building a truly modern and powerful military. About time we did…
dis new year gift don too o.chai chai
but na only does 2?
These machines being system re-integrated in SA will have western GPS but the expected MI35Ms from Russia will be on GLOSSNASS. Maybe we will be using one system to calibrate the other…..LOL.
A country that has an even more intetesting synergy of systems and standards would be Pakistan with Chinese, US and Russian systems co existing
My OGa, The manufacturer states that it has the two options (GPS or GLONASS)
I can’t take in this info at the moment. It appears my eyes are playing tricks on me. I will sleep on it and come back tomorrow when my eye don clear.
Anybody know numbers?
My ogas, on further research I saw this about the upgrade, it will match the Apache Long-bow any day anytime.
The helmet sighting system is one of the best in its category, money can buy.
Na real “point and kill” beast
THE COUNTER-INSURGENCY SEARCH AND DESTROY ALTERNATIVE
– Look shoot weapon system
– Tactical low level cannon operations
• Defensive/offensive “look shoot” strikes
• Very accurate longer range attack
– Armed recce/patrol missions
– Long range anti armour
– Infrastructure interdiction (accurate bombs)
– Full night vision operation
AVIONICS
Easy to use displays and controls provide precise systems control for the new extended operational environment.
– Clear, functional & safe NVG implementation
– Logical screen menu’s with push button system control
– Automated multi-sensor & multi dimensional navigation
– Precision aiming for new weapons applications
– Tactical mission communications
– Threat focussed electronic warfare protection
– Mission specific adaptations to suit clients
NIGHT CAPABILITY
– Full cockpit NVG conversions
– Cabin lighting conversions
Installations of:
•IR Landing lights
• Formation lights
Suppression of:
• Nav/anti-col lights
FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
– Intelligent MFD’s with integral FMS
– Flight plans, waypoints, fuel and position management made easy
– Multi-redundant for battlefield failure or damage tolerance
ELECTRONIC WARFARE
– Basic or full electronic warfare protection
– Choice of different
– RW sensors capabilities
– LW sensors capabilities
– Choice of missile Warning systems
SIGHTING SYSTEMS
– High powered Thermal & TV detection & Tracking
– Laser Beam Projection or designation
– Choice of pilot HUD or Helmet sight
TACTICAL COMMUNICATION
– RMU control
– Customised/integrated displays
Choice of
• V/UHF systems
• HF
• Radio navigation
• IFF
– Secure Communication
– Tactical Data Communication
ENHANCED SUB-SYSTEM
– Components
• Composite blades
• Filters
NAVIGATION
– GPS & Doppler hybridisation
– GPS/Glonass variations implemented
– Digital map with multiple mode selections
WEAPONS
– An offensive armour busting tactical troop
transporter ready for the ever changing modern
battlefield
– Simple to use effective stabilised day/night sighting
system
– “Accurate” + look-shoot turreted cannon
– Choice of accurate anti-armour missiles
– Computer aided precision to ballistic ordinance
• Unguided rockets 57mm and 80mm Russia
• Ballistic Bombs
– Guided 70mm rocket capability
– Devastating interdiction with laser guided bombs
– Modular mission computer
WEAPON SYSTEMS
-Dedicated ordinance control electronics
– 20mm “look shoot” turret cannon
– Multiple weapons beam adaptions
– Multiple weapons choices
It is obviously the mark3 (dual feed chain gun). I wonder if the ingwe anti tank missile was incorporated as is standard with mark3. It would be a plus.
Major pilot retraining required. This is actually not strictly a Hind anymore. Unbelieveable value money with this acquisition, reduced pilot workload, most modern sensors with seamless integration with weapons. There is apparently a mode that permits the canons to start firing on their own.
Flares as is usual with modern craft dont have to wait for human detection of ground launched missiles they are listening to sensors and self launched
ATE aerospace MiL-35MKIV Superhind/Raven gunship
I ACTUALLY STOPPED EATING and Silently whispered in Yoruba OLORUN O BA O ( GOD IS KING O) this is what a yoruba man will say when he is stunned for words no lie my eyelids expanded a 100% from a guy who quotes the GOD FATHER LIKE BIBLE tear comot eye man no lie. I will switch of my computer now and turn it back on, I can’t take this ( Head vibrating of its own accord).
dammn , dammmn dammn has any one see oga doziex?
hahahahahahaha, just imagining this got me cracked up, mehnnnnn, i feel your aura though…..
Oga jimmy , i see wetin you see o.
But as a sceptic, l am worried about numbers.
NAF can afford 50 of these bad boys.
NA should not only reequip to destroy BH, they should reequip to ensure regional and continental dominance.
JESUUUUUUUUUUS!
Nigeria haf vex.
Quo vadis??
Credit must also go to some guys in the Nigerian Airforce who have been thinking in difficult times.
This helicopters and the older Mi-24 fleet have been carrying and firing the matra pods that came with the jaguar sepecat. There was good stock of the rockets in makurdi.
This was what the CAS was referring to when praising the armament guys in the NAF end of year dinner last month.
NAF ordnance guys have been praised since 2013, they even reactivate ‘nearly expired’ old bombs into action when shortage of bombs became NAF problem.
Personally, I have been screaming about ordnance including guided munitions, good platforms will only be as effective as their ordnance/munitions, a beautiful and fearsome looking aircraft cannot kill a mosquito without munitions, and the best it can do when armed, depends on the best ammunition/ordnance it is armed with.
Let us on this blog always remember to question, query, demand, and suggest armament/munition types when we celebrate newly arrived equipment.
Remember the F-7 jet and Cobra APC, lots of money on platforms with very weak and limited weapons/ammunition capabilities, it took us 5 years to realize the big failure done by the weak type of ammunition/ordnance procured.
Me, I always prefer to shout today because tomorrow may be too late. Anybody wanna join this chorus in national interest?
Let me first commend your untiring efforts in Nigeria’s defsec.
Nigeria needs a large stock of precision guided weapons, super accurate air to ground and air to ship missiles and in particular something at least equivalent to the AMRAAM from the eastern bloc in the air to Air role. We also need to practice, practice, practice..
HOWEVER, for Boko Haram, I think high tech 20mm/30mm Cannon on platforms with good day/night sensors and attack computers + a generous use of unguided rockets where applicable will suffice. Let us not overdo the video game stuff…it is too costly.
Note that unguided rockets and bombs are not necessarily inaccurate. WIth modern sighting technologies, it is only pilot or CO pilot skills standing in the way.
$10k to $30k precision guided munitions should only be reserved for Special strikes at the commencement of battle to remove dangerous mobile weapon emplacenents, AAAs, bunkers or really dangerous ambush positions set up by BH. Let us not be like foolish Americans launchingng $1million missiles of questionable effectiveness against enemy assets not worth $10k.
The way I see the evolution of our COIN operations, there should always be an initial element that leverages on our technological advantage in surveillance, assessment and precision strike which should be Special Forces, NAF Surveillance and NAF Armament group. After this should then come the more regular routine force elements. That way we don’t get into a situation where we are shooting expensive missiles all over the place and disarming ourselves foolishly before more serious threats arise.
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/hind/
Oloruko jesu.*half faints*can sombody dial 11 holy 2.damnnn super hind this one nah roviak junior broda ewhh DICON i hope ur watching.auto fire with it 20mm cannon in a/g auto mode with A/G radar activation nd thermal imaging configured bt for day nd night opps.bh technical with heavy heat signgture wil be meat.auto dispertion of cnunter measure(dude doesnt even need 2 watch his bck. Kai we don vex .oga mschegaz u dey see wetin i am saw(in zebru voice) oga doziex where u dey.kai oga obix i could use some off dat water now*faints completely*
Oga buchi, e be like say CIC dem don finally vex. Bout time Sir.
I wish MoD can release some pics of these latest acquisitions.
That would be a national moral booster.
Good talk @Augustine
As much as acquiring weapon platforms is important, so is getting sufficient associating munitions. Imagine buying a tank without buying tank shells. How dumb.
Secondly, buying Precision Guided munition is paramount at this stage. PCMs could be the key ingredient in winning this war.
The super Hind looks imposing. It seems the FG is now getting sound advice.
Buy PGMs by all means but don’t waste them. Oil is down to $55 a barrel. Money no dey.
My grand uncle in the village still gets a grasscutter from 100 metres.
Tank shells, artillery shells and I say it again, the rapid fire canons 20mm/30mm on the MI 35Ps, Super hind and other helicopter gunships are devastating weapons systems when guided by properly integrated sensors. The Canon ammo are very cheap and a burst takes out more of the enemy than some light weight chopper launched missile ever will.
Oh mehnnn… Some guys at the NAF dey vex!! I congratulate the NAF. I congratulate Beegeagle. I congratulate the Generals on here for their patriotic and dogged insistence on innovation and change in our military (mindsets, practices and systems). The last 48 hours has been full of pleasant surprises. It can only get better. It remains now for the NAF to deliver our 12 units of the SU-27/30 and 30 units of the J17 Thunder Block 2. Then “you can’t touch this…” And Naija will be back to been the Big Boy in the block. Good show NAF!!!
Bit unrelated, but what happened to the surplus American helicopters the Navy was chasing. Sea sprite I think it was.
Unless they have totally banned the Navy which receives more hardware than any other arm.
The MI35m are far more superior than ROVAIK. Infact they are not in thesame category. ROVIAK is an experimental success of a copy project i admit we are yet to develop.
what it fully looks like
http://st.gdefon.com/wallpapers_original/wallpapers/244738_mi-24_-super-hind-mk_-vertolyot_1600x1064_(www.GdeFon.ru).jpg?sx-version-1decfbb6e677e8b69fbb77c12d76a6df3
Impressive!
Gentlemen, the positions of the MNJTF at Baga came under attack at 0600hrs today. Heavy fighting was still ongoing as of 1430hrs.
What is the status in that strategic corridor?
.
NIGERIAN MILITARY AND THE GUIDED MUNITIONS DILEMMA ;
CASE OR NO CASE ? PGM CONTROVERSY.
====================================================
The latest news of Boko Haram’s attack on Cameroon’s army base is an eye opener, for African nations fighting rebellions and insurgencies/terrorism at home or abroad.
Cameroonian army has no tanks, yet the Boko Haram tank and crew that ventured to attack their base did not live to tell the story, the tank was burnt and remained at the army base while it’s ‘ashes lie-in-state for public viewing before burial in a junk yard’ according to published reports from the press this week.
How does Cameroon destroy Boko Haram’s main battle tanks? Her national army has no T-72 tank to compare with Nigeria. However, France has sold hundreds of modern guided anti-tank missiles to Cameroon, enough to destroy the entire main battle tank force of Nigeria including the newly inducted T-72 MBT. Chad republic possesses the same capability as it’s army arsenal includes modern anti-tank guided missiles in hundreds, no tank force from the Nigerian army armoured corps can survive a Chadian army ATGM onslaught.
As at today, based on what international arms logs and published procurement news have revealed so far, guided missiles for surface warfare are great war assets Nigerian military does not possess.
Swingfire ATGM and Otomat AShM are about expired after 3 decades, guided bombs have never been purchased since Nigeria existed.
NAF Air Vice Marshal Ojuawo, in a recent and sober international press statement, lamented as he confirmed that Nigerian air force has no capability to fight a war with precision guided munitions.
Question is, how did Nigeria acquire 15 units of F-7 jets without precision guided weapons and targeting pods when the Chinese and Pakistanis whom we copied, already had PGMs on their F-7 jets ?
A smart procurement plan would have sacrificed 3 units of F-7s to save about $50 million and purchase guided munition capabilities for 12 units of NAF F-7NI jets.
Same smart buying strategy would sacrifice 2 units of Mi-24/35 Hinds to save about $20 million to purchase precision guided munitions for about 10 units of NAF Mi-35 Helicopter gunships.
Then a modern air force emerges and the lamentations of AVM Ojuawo, NAF Director of Operations, would have been a mere call for improvement by adding the JF-17 Thunder jets to existing inventory.
NAF and NA have no experience in the use of precision guided weapons in the year 2015, a 150 year old army and a 50 year old air force !
Last time NN test fired a missile at sea was about 30 years ago !
Case or no case for guided missiles and guided bombs in Nigerian military ?
Terrorists are not a conventional army, Nigerian military was basically built to fight a conventional war, so how are the armed forces expected to fight against a foe armed with guided missiles and guided bombs when the Nigerian defenders have none of those? Will they kill a snake with a pencil ?
Boko Haram war, case or no case for precision guided munitions? One of the best pilots in NAF today is AVM Ojuawo, his public outcry for the purchase of American made Scorpion jets and the cry for PGMs to be purchased and used against Boko Haram is a sign of frustration facing the director of operations who is an internationally acclaimed award winning pilot.
NAF has made it’s case for PGMs publicly, NA and NN remain silent on the issue, but the cow at the slaughter slab knows the knife hurts, yet does not cry out relatively, his silence does not indicate that there is pleasure in the butchers dagger.
Where do we go from this juncture as a nation?
The newly upgraded NAF ‘Super Hinds’ are armed with a 20mm cannon, French F2 design license copied by South African DENEL as GI-2 has a maximum effective range of 1.5 km only. Rocket pods will give an effective average range of 2.5 km to the Mi-35 Hind. Boko Haram’s 23mm anti-aircraft guns have effective range 2.5 km and maximum lucky hit range 7 km.
The beautiful NAF Helicopters are at high risk in combat, we cannot afford to lose them and lose the pilots. It is very hard to replace the aircraft and crew, takes months to buy and years to train.
Precision guided air to surface missiles are a must for NAF combat helicopters or else a cheap AAA gun manned by an illiterate fanatic will shoot down those birds if they fly into his death zone air defence range.
COIN air to ground attack aircraft needs precision for some reasons :
1. To avoid enemy triple A shooting it down
2. To avoid friendly fire on it’s own ground forces
3. To reduce collateral damage on civilian lives and valuable ground infrastructure
The aircraft pilot is hampered from using his unguided weapons at maximum range for reasons 2 and 3.
Ground based air defence in a COIN war needs less of precision, he has ground clutter and civilian shield to his advantage, he can fire his AAA to maximum range and still hits an aircraft exposed in the wide open sky.
Case or no case? Readers should judge.
All NAF and NA needs is occasional use of PGMs at say 4 km range, take out Boko Haram’s anti-aircraft weapons and armoured vehicles to reduce high threat to Nigerian forces, and soften enemy targets for NA infantry to engage, thus reducing casualties and combat time. Then close in at 1 km range to use cannon fire or machine guns as well as unguided bombs and rockets, 1 km is more than safe beyond range of Boko Haram’s ubiquitous RGP threats.
If Nigeria needs PGMs against ordinary insurgents, then surely we need them in case of conventional war against a professional military foe or enemy nation. Who knows Nigeria’s threat coming in the near future? Nobody knows.
Nigeria’s COIN war can be fought with quickly procured cheap second-hand PGMs from Russia, China, and Pakistan who hold large arsenals.
Air to ground visual observation as experienced by deliberate investigation, assuming no electronic targeting aids :
Airborne on an aircraft comparable to ATR-42 transport version and viewed from window portholes air to ground, on a no cloud cover day. Clouds can form at 2 km to 10 km altitude above ground level.
If there is daytime cloud cover at 2 km altitude and above, NAF will need guided weapons.
Altitude 8 km, nothing except vegetation and rivers are seen and identified.
Altitude 7 km, houses identified.
Altitude 5 km vehicles, all SUVs, trailers, and cars look alike, size cannot be distinguished but all vehicles visible.
Altitude 4 km cars look different from cargo trailers/petrol tankers, but cars still looks same as SUVs.
Altitude 2 km all vehicles and Okada/Motorcycles differ visibly and easy to distinguish.
Altitude 1 km people walking visibly differ from trees, and cars differ from bicycle riders, speed is noticeable for everything that moves, white/Caucasian men appear and differ from black African men, colour of trousers clear as human leg walks stretching out by stride and red colours stands out best in visibility, then orange, then yellow.
NA can use red flags flattened, spread out, not raised/hoisted vertically to friendly forces signal location to NAF and change colour daily, pilots to be copied for daily colour codes.
4th generation jet fighters can program Boko Haram AAA images to cockpit computer and ground search radar scans/tracks them out.
No light propeller aircraft noise from Cessna 172 class of aircraft is heard below on ground at about 2 km flight altitude and FLIR can work effectively. Nigerian army Shilka vehicles can always turn on radar for NAF pilots to differentiate them from Boko Haram’s Shilka image on jet screen display, Boko Haram has no radar.
Night time observation, only car lights, street lights or house lights are visible.
Car lights differ as they have motion, street lights are in a single or double straight line and static, houses are clusters of lights in shapes of streets and towns.
All lights visible on a non cloudy night from altitude 1 km to 8 km, but cannot differentiate car light movement from above 5 km altitude at night, they are so slow and therefore their movement is hardly noticeable .
Night combat, human beings are very difficult to see unless at 1 km altitude with powerful street lights illumination.
Visibility for combat is very very poor at night, NAF will need precision guided ammunition and thermal imaging/targeting systems for night combat.
Helicopter propellers and engines are heavier than light propeller aircraft of Cessna 172 class, and the helicopter noise is audible to human ears on ground at 2 km altitude due to it’s higher decibel rating.
Observation shows that it is only at very risky altitude of about 1 km that a pilot can eye ball targets and differentiate friend or foe to a safe level for air to ground attack, but unfortunately, any NAF aircraft flying at 1 km altitude is easy meat for consumption by Boko Haram’s ground based gun fire from light machine guns, heavy machine guns to anti-aircraft cannon.
CONCLUSION :
Nigerian army and air force need precision guided munitions for this insurgency war, and for any eventual conventional war. The Nigerian navy will need precision guided munitions for any eventuality of unforeseen conventional war.
Should we still be asking, case or no case for PGMs in Nigerian armed forces year 2015 ?
.
Counter point:
Precision guided munitions are needed for two reasons: to guarantee hits on targets, minimise collateral damage.
Pilots have been hitting targets with gravity bombs since WW2, in the face of often murderous fire, I is a matter of training. NAF pilots in Sierra Leone were distinctly praised by EO and others for their skill and accuracy with gravity bombs against the RUF. The Zimbabweans used gravity bombs in Congo and made mincemeat of the Rwandans, who were a far better equipped, trained and organised force than Boko Haram.
the average PGM costs $22,000, the average gravity bomb $2,000.
So for the cost of a single air strike you can perform 10 with gravity bombs.
Boko Harams key weapon system is the technical. Do you really need a $22,000 bomb to destroy an unarmoured pickup with a DshK on the back?
So why PGMs?
Accuracy? Well PGMs miss (a lot more than you think) but just as much as they miss, they are only as good as the information tey are given, so if they are programmed with the wrong coordinates or the wrong targeted is identified or the lock is broken then they will miss.
Cost? An Alphajet with 4 PGMs is burning $80,000 with 4 gravity bombs $8,000. But that’s just upfront cost. Cost of training, infrastructure for the weapons depending on whether its laser, satellite, radar or infrared guided
Collateral damage? Properly used a PGM will limit collateral damage but in reality it does not necessarily hit the target but within 5-10m of it, thus friendly or civilians elements can be harmed
Minimise danger to pilots? Well Stealth fighters firing PGMs have been taken down so if you are in contested airspace you are at risk.
The cost of a PGM and its infrastructure and training are prohibitive and do not necessarily translate to success, in fact the cost leeads to even less air support as permission for air strikes will be pushed further and further up the chain.
To defeat BH vehicles, cannon, unguided and guided rockets are sufficient, unguided bombs deployed by well trained, well guided pilots will destroy a tank, vehicle or fixed position with comparable results.
PGMs are excellent weapons but they are not a cost effective way of fighting a low tech enemy
Oga Peccavi, how does a NAF pilot with gravity free fall unguided bombs hit a precise target at dark nights in a civilain area being raided by Boko Haram?
How does NAF pilots knock out batteries of Boko Haram AAAs when there is cloud cover at 2km altitude reducing pilot’s visibility?
The white-man who invented and invested in PGMs did it after many decades of war experience and battle space reality.
So, I beg to disagree on many points :
1. World war II RAF, USAF and Luftwaffe combat aircraft losses to enemy ground fire/AAA were in thousands. Bearable loss for world powers who produce combat aircraft in thousands like pure water. NAF cannot absorb a high attrition rate, we are short of combat aircraft and combat pilots.
2. RUF and NPLF rebels did hit or maybe downed NAF Alpha jets, but attrition was low due to very few AAA threats, and the use of Belouga cluster bombs, and that was in a foreign land, try Belouga in Maiduguri and hear political party APC say PDP mass murdered civilians on orders from Aso Rock.
3. Boko Haram gunners mounting AAA have proved better shooters than AAA gunners of ECOMOG days, we lose more aircraft in NE than in Liberia/Sierra Leone. The NAF pilots in NE zone are proved very good and commended as heroes who have saved NA and help liberate captured cities by pounding the hell out of Boko Haram.
The current war shows Boko Haram has more anti-aircraft guns than RUF/NPLF, every time Boko Haram appears you see several 14.5mm, twin 23mm, and quad 23mm triple AAAs, every Boko Platoon has air defence weapons, combat doctrine of modern times borrowed from Al-Qaeda and Taliban.
Today’s insurgent of 2015 is smarter, better armed, better trained than the rebel of 1995. How many T-55 tanks did RUF have against ECOMOG Vickers tanks?
Enemy equipment, tactics, skills, and doctrine have changed, we either move with the times or we suffer heavy losses for it.
In your absence from the blog for a few weeks now sir, I said it many times over, that against Boko Haram Nigeria does not need brand new and expensive PGMs, we can buy second-hand half life guided weapons with small warhead and low calibre HE for as low as $10,000 from Russia, China, Pakistan, or India.
That Boko Haram Toyota 4×4 mounted 23mm AAA that people say is not worth killing with $10,000 guided bombs or ATGM thermobaric, will one day kill a Nigerian army Colonel or shoot down one of our new shiny Mi-35 Hind worth $10 million and kill two NAF pilots of rank Wing Commander….so are those not worth saving with $10,000 ?
.
May I add this Oga Peccavi : I have NEVER said NAF and NA should randomly use guided weapons against Boko Haram, I said clearly OCCASIONAL use MIXED with cannon and unguided weapons..
Also the talk about costs, how come Uganda selling tobacco bought 1,000 anti-tank guided missiles, 100 guided bombs, and 25 guided air to surface missiles?
Kenya selling tea and coffee bought over 2,000 anti-tank guided missiles and 100 guided air to surface missiles?
Nigeria has trillions of dollars oil reserve and we have made hundreds of billions of dollars from oil and gas since 1957 when oil was first found at Oloibiri Niger Delta.
Who has bewitched Nigerian weapons procurement advisers since 1960 ?
Nigeria needs deliverance prayer from the missile scarcity jinx. Period !
Oga Beegeagle, my long comment is not coming up, I posted now and it vanished. Took some hours to write it o ! Please help. Thanks.
Ogbeni, sha take am easy with the epistle. Apparently, the post was so long that the system blocked it off as spam mail..lol. First time I am seeing that o.
Be sure to always copy and paste long comments somewhere before attempting to post same…just in case you do not get so lucky next time.
Thanks for the timely rescue oga beegeagle. Advice taken sir.
Oga Beeg Welcome back….Brother Augustine – very insightful Post.
What would we do without this blog sef.
@Augustine
Let me jus qualify my suppor of you thesi thus:
1. Nigeria needs large numbers if precision weapons and PGMs in order to give true bite to the acquisition of 3ge tanks, 4/4.5gen combat aircraft and MI 24/35/171sh choppers.
2. There are two types of threat assesments informing that drive; Boko Harem, the minor threat and Chad/ilpppppCameroon, the majr ones
3. Where we disagree is in your implied suggestion that a
…the use of PGMs against BH shou d be a routine and everyday activity. My own suggestion is every battle against BH should be well designed and ordnance delivery should be a mix of dumb and smart weapons.
4. We are going to need our stock of PGMs for high priority targets probably coming from state actors in our backyard i suspect very soon. The CDS mentioned this dilemma recehtly as well. $10,000 weapons against BH where collateral damage probability is low is not smart. I would reserve those munitions against a cameroonian resitance when we need to take out Boko bases on their territory.
Oga Are James, we are in agreement for sure, I said in my post above….
“All NAF and NA needs is occasional use of PGMs at say 4 km range, take out Boko Haram’s anti-aircraft weapons and armoured vehicles to reduce high threat to Nigerian forces, and soften enemy targets for NA infantry to engage, thus reducing casualties and combat time. Then close in at 1 km range to use cannon fire or machine guns as well as unguided bombs and rockets, 1 km is more than safe beyond range of Boko Haram’s ubiquitous RGP threats.”
I said occasional use, and we are very much of the same opinion, thanks for your line of thought sir.
Really pity NAF having to do air to ground strikes in day time cloud cover 2 km, or dark night with or without cloud cover, it’s not an easy war, NAF will not want to bomb Nigerian soldiers in error, yet our pilots face poor visibility challenges. Only guided bombs and air to surface missiles will work in those situations, and Nigeria does not have them.
Amazing to know Kenya bought about 100 units of Maverick air to ground missiles for her old F-5 jets, and Uganda bought many air to surface missiles for her Su-30 jets, many other African countries have PGMs. Na we dey miss o ! Naija dey missing from the list.
Baga army base seized by BH?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30672391
Oga Chynedoo. I respect your hustle sir.
With due respect sir that supposed piece of information/disinformation isn’t worth the bandwidth with which it is conveyed; i’ll rather wait on DHQ.
I agree with Oga Augustine’s emphasis of the need for precision weapons.
On this blog, I have listed the French in Op serval as an example of how the devastation of technical, can be blunted by precision jet and helicopter fire, before the can be brought to bare on civilians and friendly forces.
We have also seen the difference American precision fire made in blunting the onslaught of ISIS.
BH technical laden convoys would be sitting ducks, if NAF possessed hand held, vehicle mounted, heliborne or jet lauched guided missiles.
Some Amisom member was also able to neutralize al shabab’s fleet of technicals with precision jet and helicopter strikes.
Oga Augustine, how you wan carry second hand PGM?
On a dark night or poor visibility you still need someone to somehow identify the target, lase it or feed the coordinates to the aircraft.
My point is that we should not fixate on PGM as problem solvers, the cost benefit analysis does not stack up
Oga Peccavi, Morocco’s navy purchased second hand Exocet missiles for some brand new Corvettes.
Nigeria can buy second hand precision guided munitions for half the price of new ones.
If the army base near Baga had hand/shoulder launched anti-tank guided missiles with thermobaric and HEAT warheads, the FOB would not have fallen before help came.
If you knock out all 5 Boko Haram 3,000m range AAA guns or APCs in a convoy of 20 Toyotas from 2km away, the rest will be reduced to 300m range AK-47 and RPG, you have degraded the range of Boko Haram firepower down to 10% and destroyed all their armoured vehicle protection.
The base will not fall in one day as the soldiers had enough will to fight for many hours as reported, reinforcement would have arrived…..and the scores of soldiers and civilians who died would have been saved.
I also see the need of Russian or Chinese Gatling guns to help our garrisons balance firepower when we are heavily out numbered in defending a base where no T-72 or BTR-4 is available.
Poor countries in Africa have PGMs with their economy poorer than Lagos State.
Oga knocking out vehicles is not a video game, you have to see them and hit them without being killed. We do not know what caused the fall of Baga but I doubt that ATGWs were the answer. Artillery, mortars etc would have made mincemeat but again they need to be properly used
Mortars, machine guns, artillery, command detonated mines, obstacles, but more importantly patrols, OPs and a good plan are key.
And a counter attack plan
Are the Boko Haram vehicles invisible spirits? Even Cameroon is knocking them out. Indirect fire mortar and artillery is less useful against highly mobile high calibre enemy weapons mounted on fast vehicles. PGMs are used by all respectable armies of this world, are they wrong?
Oga augustine Bases were overrun in Vietnam,almost overrun at least on one ocassion in Afghanistan and now in Baga ,Nigeria.I am sure as we speak the Nigerian Army embarassed as it is will learn from this very painful lesson.I will be restrained in my comments because the discussion around Baga got me very emotional and that is not what is needed right now. What is needed is a clear level head,to understand the mistakes that were made,make arrangements with the Govts of Chad and Niger if any of our Soldiers are in their territories get them back on Nigerian soil,get a thorough debriefing from them,analyse what is actually going at baga from the stream of Idps streaming into Chad and Niger and then and only then can they plan to retake Baga,meanwhile we might have to brace ourselves for the horrific videos that inevitably follow these type of situations. God be all our Soldiers.Amen. God bless Nigeria. Amen T-Mobile. America’s First Nationwide 4G Network
I know what caused this base to be overrun in this manner.
The cause was a strategic and intended one and quite simply was that the generals put their legs off the accelerator pedal in chasing Boko Haram. Boko Haram was agai permitted to regroup, restrategise, redeploy in a northerly direction and mount this attack to create just the intended panic effect to civil authorities and as you might say ‘prolong the prolongation’ of the war.
It is completely wrong analysis to continue blaming strategies and tactics when what has happened is that an intended end in this case as been achieved in this instance.
Let us not be under any illusion as to what is happening. This war is not about the capabilities of the armed forces, it is about a determination of a few people in leadership to allow it to continue for as long as they want it to.
oga augustine, your fascination for wonder weapons is ‘funnily’ amazing. if its not ATGM, its PGM, or other miracle toys. war, my good friend, is not addition and subtraction matter. things are more complex than calculus.
no miracle weapon would remedy the current situation in the north east. it all boils down to the human factor. if the general staff are truly serious about this crisis, the conventional and semi-conventional phase of this campaign should have been over by now. unfortunately, strictly fighting its not always the top priority for those at the top, whether the military brass or the politicians.
Happy New year folks. Glad to have you back on anchor marshal beegs.
TRANSLATION BY OBIX
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/1121573.html
FACT:
Nigeria gets from Ukraine Mi-24 helicopters 🙂
Following the purchase of T-72AV and BTR-4E from the Ukraine in 2014,Nigeria, apparently acquires former Ukrainian Mi-24 combat helicopters.
Nigerian web resource beegeagle.wordpress.com 2 January 2015 published a picture of the two Nigeria Air Force modernization Super Hind Mk III -Mi-24 combat helicopters ,project of the South African company Advanced Technologies and Engineering.
Serial works on modernization of the Mi-24 Super Hind options are carried out on contract by the Ukrainian State Enterprise “Konotop Aircraft Repair Plant” Aviacon “(Konotop, Sumy region). In 1999-2004, Konotop factory for the Algerian Air Force, upgraded 33 former Ukrainian Mi-24V to the Super Hind Mk III version, and in 2010-2011 – for the Azerbaijani Air Force 12 former Ukrainian Mi-24K to the Super Hind Mk IV (upgraded Azerbaijani helicopters received the designation Mi-24G).
Two Mi-24 passing upgrading to Super Hind version , were seen in the factory floor of “Aviacon” on October 16, 2014. The color of these helicopters is easily seen, was similar machines with photos beegeagle.wordpress.com, so apparently it’s the same two helicopters. Judging by the video footage from the plant personnel during the visit, the two helicopters equipped with modernized ATGM South African Denel ZT3 Ingwe – similarly to the Algerian Super Hind machines . Thus, Nigeria became the third recipient country of upgraded Super Hind helicopters
Along with the delivery of two upgraded helicopters Nigeria Super Hind, Ukraine, apparently is sending to Nigeria non-modernized Mi-24 attack helicopter series from her stock. In mid-December 2014 in the Kiev region , a Photo was made of a Mi-24B with Nigeria Air Force markings and the number NAF-261 (never before sighted). The helicopter is painted in “desert” camouflage similar to both the Nigerian Super Hind. This machine, apparently also went through a pre-sale refurbishment at the “Aviacon” factory in Konotop.
Interesting perspective on US-Nigeria relations on Boko Haram
http://allafrica.com/stories/201501020936.html
i will continue to say this, without attitude change, this war is not ending anytime soon. who knows, maybe that is what some of these profiteers want anyway. what is so hard in defending a base?
no one should blame the air force. like i have said repeatedly, the army has every piece of hardware that it needs to repel these miscreants.
with sound tactical acumen, the base commander could have correctly prognosticate an insurgent attack. bases in the general borno-adamawa axis are usually on high alert. plans re always on the table on line defence, counter attack, and mop up.
the combat behavior of some of these local garrisons is eerily strange . if a garrison post sends out aggressive combat patrols, there is no way the enemy can launch a surprise full scale invasion. there is also no way a fighting patrols would not locate convoys, or be able to distinguish probing force from full scale attacks. its truly bewildering.
the most important function for the air force in this scenario is replenishment and medevac. a base with field guns and mortars should soundly smash the attacking enemy. boko haram has used up all their tricks that nothing now should surprise the army. the fact that they are still being caught flat footed means someone isnt earning their pay.
it doesnt take an alexandra the great to properly fortify a base, send out fighting patrol, and accurately read enemy intentions around the AOR. either some peeps are being set up to fail, or the army is playing a completely different script from what outsiders like us understand. it remains to be seen how the NA high command want to run this ops. but surely, we do not need supermen officers to properly prosecute this war. there is interference somewhere, and until they fix that, no amount of training or shining weapons would obliterate boko haram from the battlefield.
commanders that should be thanking their deities whenever BH mass attack garrison since it gives them the opportunity to annihilate the terrs en-mass, are busy taking one step forward and one back. bizarre!!
10/10 nothing more to add to what you have written. What is needed now is more commitment and pro active measure, this isn’t an ambush!! they attacked a base…in our country time and again it’s unexcusable…
There is a general consensus that the NA has years of battle experience to accurately deal with the current threats, or at least, 5 years of dealing with Boko Haram’s guerrilla ware should be a reasonable enough time for the army to have adjusted. Maybe we all assume the NA could and should deal with these threats. But what if there are some fundamental issues that we are not aware of, or even factoring into the whole picture?
What if the NA lacks the tactical structure to deal with the current threat?
Maybe we need to think of this war from the present threats from Boko Haram rather than what the NA had accomplished in the past because the NA since 1999 has lost a lot of the officers who saw action both within the country and beyond, some of its finest officers have either been retired or rendered inactive through purely political scheming within the presidency and beyond. Service chiefs no longer run their respective armed services in the professional way they know best, officers in NA have become deeply politicised and less professional. Bad officers make bad soldiers.
We need to accept the fact there are serious tactical, and professional problems with the current NA setup. Poor discipline within the ranks points to an institution in disarray. Cameroonian and Chadian forces with less tactical capabilities and fighting experience compared to the NA handle Boko Haram better than the NA may in fact be a further sign of the serious fundamental issues within the NA.
We need to question the overall strategy being used by NA in this one, if at all there is any strategy at all. The truth is always going to be unsettling, but we need a bitter dose of reality on this war. Apart from the battles in Konduga, the NA has so far been unable to counter Boko Haram’s attacks, nor shown the required tactical superiority. On the surface, this battle is one sided, in favour of the NA tactically and otherwise, the NA has air cover, better trained, superior fire power, and more resources than BH yet Boko Haram in practice is making it look like a one sided fight by being the one on the offensive all the time. Why?.
No army could survive a battle by simply sitting in its positions and allow the enemy attack, not even Napoleon’s army could survive such tactical error. In the past 5 years, Boko Haram the NA allowed Boko Haram erect camps all over the north east including near the border with Chad and Cameroun. The NA did not attack these positions, now Boko Haram uses these camps to launch attacks on and annex towns and villages even to the point of making an to overrun Damaturu and Maiduguri.
Why the NA sits in the safety of its bases in the north east without attacking BH positions, may in fact reflect the very serious fundamental issues that standing in the way of winning this war.
oga, you make some valid points. however, in the process of fleshing out the army’s shortcomings, you inadvertently painted the whole canvas with one brush stroke. the army isn’t ineffective. no, far from it. the problem is that the likes of DDI and DARP, extreme case of paranoid schizophrenia, are so cagey about the army’s ground operations up north. the army is indeed fighting and they are the only bulwark between the rest of the country and these retarded miscreants.
unfortunately for the morale of the general population, bad news such as these just tend to travel faster. the public only get to hear about BH success while the army is completely clueless about how to bring light to their own successes in the field, again thanks to DDI and DARP. even col musa was doing a better job as spokesman for then JTF. these current ones are sitting in abuja and releasing scrawny scripts like we are in the GDR
NA has victory under its belt in this ongoing campaign, the general public are just not being carried along. we are now seeing how counter productive this really is.
as to your point about combat experience officers, yes the army turned really ‘soft’ due to all the UNPKOs that the political masters where more comfortable with. PSOs are less threatening, as such the army was nearly turned into charlee army by choice of policy. however, even this policy shift isn’t enough to disembowel the fighting spirit of the armed forces.
the platoon leaders of 98/99 are today Lt Cols and Cols. so yes, there are still loads of combat proven officers left in the army. the army is not made up of little school girls or some choir boys. what is currently missing is failure of attitude change.
deploying troops to gwoza or baga and not providing enough ammunition both for small and large calibre weapons will affect troop combat effectiveness. also, providing enough ammo for these bases, but with moles and saboteurs in their mists would also not help in the defence of the base. combat, especially relating to raids and rebel invasion can be quite confusing. just some few men pushing forward would spur others to go forward and engage the enemy. while on the other hand, some few men spreading false rumours and panic could also turn the base into chaos and confusion. failure of leadership? absolutely. but that is where you need your NCOs to drill the troops and help hold the line.
for someone who knows the NA intently (at least the old NA of the 90s), it will be too simple to conclude that the army can no longer set up a well fortified structure, place mines and improvise claymores where needed, aggressively patrol the AOR, in addition to deploying operational reconnaissance (long rang) and tactical recon (short range). these are nothing new to trained personnel. you don’t have to be a Napoleon to build, occupy, and defend a base.
if we are referring to platoon size outposts, yes, those can be overrun if numbers are overwhelmingly on the enemy’s favour. even against such odds, a well trained, well disciplined and well prepared platoon would ensure the price for their fall is extremely pricey.
we are not being told the whole story, and shamefully, the line troops are paying for this. maybe if life insurance premiums were eating really deep into the army’s coffers, some profiteers would find the current campaign less of a windfall and actually stick to winning the war
I think we agree on the same issue albeit from different angles. But the bottom line is, there are serious fundamental problems. As you rightly pointed out, the absence of the right attitude within the hierarchy of the NA command structure, the lack of leadership where such is a necessity is equally problematic. There is a visible blank disposition by DHCQ in terms of being proactive, planning, forecasting and analysing threats. Our attitude toward logistics, replenishing FOBs with ammunition, hardware and men seems more like an ad hoc afterthought than a routine part of NA ops. There are so many other issues, things that supposedly should be part of any undertaking of the NA in this war that just seem like no one even thinks about them. The news in town is that the Baga base had up to 7 hours firefight with the insurgents, other estimates suggest soldiers battled Boko Haram fighters for 18 hours but with all the money spent on new hardware for the air force, and even the old alpha jets but the air force didn’t show up. Is TAC Makurdi is more than 2 hours flight to Baga?
If the NA is making serious tactical errors on routine ops issues, then it is even more worrying. I think the NA needs to take this war more seriously for a number of reasons. We are surrounded by Francophone countries, they might to be enemies per se to the level of China v Japan but neither are they friendly neighbours. So if the NA appears to be struggling to contain an internal conflict, then these countries with some external backing may get a little excited and try to test our resolve the way Russian long range bear bombers are probing NATO and American defences.
The NA needs to setup up a 24 joint coordination centre headed by a senior battle tested officer at least a general, and staffed by a small group of elite officers from every arm of the armed forces with reps from the police and intel agencies. Their job should be nothing more than to run a round the clock coordination of all the assets in the north-east with a dedicated air force strike team, and medevac. With a better coordination, the response rate to assist fobs, patrol teams and frontline troops in critical situations would become better. What the NA currently lacks is the ability to optimize assets already on the ground. Better coordination, and of course a more proactive approach would rapidly crystalize NA’s superiority over Boko haram
**DHQ**
Let them take Baga back…but in their taking let them also add Gwoza and Sambissa…Happy new year gentlemen…and a big welcome back to Marshal Beeg….My 20 kobo: With the new weapons which arrived in Baga prior to the last engagement the Nigerian Military has not giving us value for money…I have quietly studied what has been going on and i can come to only one conclusion…The officers leading this war especially the very senior officers (COAS and CDS inclusive) needs a telling off. All along their cry has been give us better arms and we would prove ourselves, have they not been given? What other excuse do they want to give us now? I am not interested….The current COAS needs to prove his onions or resign…..same with the CDS. I choose not to blame the rank and file (though they are also culpable) because they are the outcome of what the officers have made them be. The officers are in charge of training them, arming them, posting them and leading them. If they are properly grounded in all this we would not be having all this dismal showing. The commander in chief has to stop massaging the egos of those he has placed in charge of the countries security and to demand that they earn their pay. This Baga saga should be the last of such embarssment (Whether Chad, Cameroun or Niger withdraws her troops or not). We should be capable of defending our territorial integrity!!!! Maybe Peccavi is right….Our problems might not just be new weapons…..as after every battle you see a lack of foresight from commanding officers, lack of foresight from officers who should be looking out for the Commanding officers in the battle front, lack of foresight for the service chiefs responsible for all the officers. When the attacked started, was the chain of command unaware of what was going on? Can the honestly tell us that they were not updated on a minute to minute basis? Can they hinestly tell us that the were not aware when the base was about to fall? A lot of these questions needs answers…and i hope the answers would not be frightening.
if they need new weapons to fight off boko haram terrorists, i wonder what they would ‘need’ to fight sudan or any other mid armed country.
the 7 div needs to be revamped or pulled out completely from the theatre.
how are we so certain that those entrusted to protect nigerian lives and territorial space are even putting that job as first priority. no one should be blamed for second guessing these guys who obviously have more important agendas than annihilating this vermin.
the strange part is that, this present conflict bowl is the optimum any soldier can wish for. no triple canopy jungle, the enemy can be seen miles away, manoeuvre warfare, with mobile assault teams sweeping vast arid lands. what else do these present crop of officers and men want?
Second that on the 7Div. The house has a faulty foundation, to repair is going to be difficult. When the special forces trainees come home we should start some flexible redeployment. Oh the money we are wasting !!!!. It is very painful.
Oga Chynedoo and Oga freegulf, God bless you all for the long analysis, it takes more than 5 minutes to write a long post. Thanks for your time spent for the fatherland.
Other Ogas on this page, I recognize your contributions, God bless you all for speaking to save Nigeria.
I have a few thoughts, no answers. just my thoughts.
NAF did not help the soldiers in Baga battle for 7 hours to 18 hours, is NAF worried about flying into Chadian airspace and facing Chad’s MiG-29 jets?
NA did not send BTR-4s into Baga as reinforcements. Note, the BTR-4 is one of the fastest IFVs in the world today, about as fast as the tiny Cobra APC, so much speed and so much firepower on BTR-4, looking at it’s huge size, yet drives so fast.
Is it that NA was worried about crossing into Chadian territory, then they have to surrender their weapons and IFV?
Could it be that the MJTF had agreement behind it, that no country can cross borders unless the soldiers of the country being moved into are in that same MJTF unit?
Did we have diplomatic constraints?
Maybe the FOB is not high value worth saving.
Can we say DHQ does not mind losing Baga town, allow say 800 Boko fighters to settle in Baga with their best equipment, then NA goes in with T-72 and delete a whole Boko battalion to further weaken them?
Wiping out the battalion of Bokos that invaded Konduga has weakened the Bokos beyond quick recovery since almost 5 months ago. Could it be a NA new strategy? Suck them into a town, crush them in that perimeter.
My thoughts only, I have no answers.
Baga is in Nigeria 100%. There are also multilateral agreements allowing troops (and I believe) aircraft not only transit put combat n hot pursuit.
Baga fell due to poor leadership plain and simple.
If I sitting here thousands of km away using googe maps could predict the thrust of the BH offensive what were our Generals doing. Baga was a juicy target, Nigeria could have used it like the Camerounians have used Fotokol to bait BH into fighting a losing battle on their terms.
It is painful to say Cameroun is fighting better than us.
We cant blame the boys, they’ve been there for years, no relief and no leadership.
They have essentially cut Borno State off from Niger, Chad and Cameroun.
The attack on Damaturu is the beginning, they will keep hitting the small towns and villages and then cut off the road to Maiduguri and it will be besieged.
What this means is that rather than the NA clearing the Nigerien and Camerounian border they will be fighting to break the siege of Maiduguri.
And just like at Konduga, once the siege is broken rather than punching forward we will sit back and start congratulating ourselves.
BH is here to stay
oga Augustine, like i mentioned previously, the whole campaign is so chaotic that its hard not to second guess the NA high command.
it is really not a major issue if they are trying to ensnare these rats into a dust bowl and lay waste to them en mass. however, the tendencies of leaving usable hardware behind for the enemy is treasonable. they might as well become the new quarter master of BH. some can argue that NA is now a sponsor of BH too, since all they do is retreat without cohesion and leave an entire weapons dump for the enemy.
as for reinforcement reaching the beleaguered troops, only air mobility will do. the terrain is rough, borno is vast, and series of enemies ambushes will keep the relief force from reaching their objective. NAF helos could easily perform that job and even turn the table on the terrs by landing blocking troops to complete the destruction of the enemy while fixing them in place.
Thank you Oga Augustine, and Oga Freegulf. We only hope that whatever the strategy is, that it will help us win this war. And we hope that there will be a change in the NA tactical doctrine especially in showing more coordination.
Oga Beeg, kindly re-confirm this information:
http://www.janes.com/article/47770/update-nigeria-reportedly-takes-delivery-of-super-hinds
Will not paste the story, just check it out.
Yes, it has come to my notice but my source has yet to shift ground. I prefer to wait and see…still seeing photos of fresh deliveries of Hinds.
Darren Olivier and the Diffa3 guy make convincing arguments but none of them knew either when T72AV tanks and BTR-4 IFVs entered Nigerian service either but they are here now. Wait and see..