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Beegeagle's Blog 
Waoooo!!! Job weldone.
God bless Nigeria!!!
Great image! These are SF guys, right?
Likely since one of them is in black t shirt.
we shall prevail!
Amen!!!
God bless Nigeria!!!
Good morning, gentlemen.
It does appear as if some of us are now clearly hellbent on turning this blog into a political guillotine rather than the unofficial resource for policy guidance which it was designed to be.
As it stands, this has become intolerable and diversionary. The privilege of posting comments here goes with the responsibility of keeping our comments decorous. This is not the place to impress one’s self with loose talk. Dr Goodluck Jonathan & General Muhammadu Buhari are both on Twitter. We can take our concerns to them directly instead of using this platform as springboard.
Please, let us be reminded that foul language, baseless speculation, political baiting and personal attacks on fellow bloggers and public figures alike are ALWAYS unwelcome here. And it shall remain that way for as long as one feels persuaded or dissuaded about the continued relevance of this mission.
Please, let us be guided by the foregoing admonition. We have always tried to allow this blog cruise along on its own steam but it seems as if some of us are keener on having matters spelt out for us. That is unfortunate, seeing that there are no kids in here.
We look forward to changed paradigms. Good morning all. Have a great week.
Thanks Oga beegs
Noted and complying 100%
Point acknowledged Oga Beegs. How you dey Sir? Been a while…
Well said Oga Beegs.
Infact, i stayed off the last thread when the comments reached a political crescendo. In one way or the other, we are “political enemies” but when it comes to this blog, we must be United and not turn the whole blog into a Civil War field. Though our political “views” are different, we mustn’t allow that to becloud our intelligence AS FIT GENTLEMEN of this Blog.
Though, Politics is part of our Life, we must be conscious of why this blog was set-up in the first place–i believe the ‘owner’ has a vision– and we can only make his(ofcourse OURS) vision by contributing something meaningful to the betterment of the blog and Nigeria as a whole.
Oops! I sounded like a Preacher, don’t mind me, na those fine guys up there dey make me dey prophesy.
GodBlessNigerianMilitary
I am quite happy you brought this up…. those of us who have been with this esteem blog from the start, should not shy away from always keep true to the reason for this space and keep politics in check. Glad to hear from you Beeg, dude show the blog a little more love, I am jealous twitter is getting all the love man lol. God bless you all.
Sorry for this question o, what did you read in University? and where did you school?
Yeah Ola, they are SF commandos
Reading channels online today, I found this:
http://www.channelstv.com/2015/08/03/troops-capture-boko-haram-commander-alive/
I hope the captured guy will give valuable information to the NA. God’s speed to the NA!
Words on Marble @oga BEEGS.
@Ola the value of information that the guy has may be expiring rapidly in the sense that knowing that he has been captures BH is likely to start making changes immediately. so I implore the NA and NAF to at on whatever intelligence they get from him in good time.
Gen. BEEG,good to know that you are still there .
Please does any know why to this day the Mil attack/transport helicopters have not arrived in Nigeria yet ?
How can we still be importing dumb bombs from abroad and be using WWII iron bomb that the Soviet supplied to us With MiG-21 fighter jets that their fuse are not reliable ?
The NAF engineers and ordnance personnel now are very knowledgeable than their Civil War colleagues, so the NAF should task them to design and build some of their rudimentary requirements.
Haba,we are importing 250kg and 500kg dumb bombs, how are we sure the shells used by NA artillery are not also being imported ?
God Help Us!
@Gen gbash10. How you sure say we no dey import AK 47 bullets???? If the ogas at the top can import kpako police batons that my village carpenter can make, anything is possible.
@Oga Gbash wetin you talk na true ooo, why should we still be importing dumb bombs. only thing we should be importing are guided munitions. dumb bombs should be done locally by now na!!
we like to import it all
To innovate, you must be willing to attempt and fail, and then attempt again. We want to buy ready made!!
Oga beegs, about time you mentioned this political conundrum on this blog.
It has directly led to most of the degenerated spats.
It’s sad. I really hope we all learn to behave more like adults.
The amount of emotion and time put into these political arguments here are quite counterproductive really…
LEAHY LAW: U.S. to relax military assistance restrictions on Nigeria
In NEWSAugust 3, 2015Ayo Olorunsomo161 Views0 comments
LEAHY LAW: U.S. to relax military assistance restrictions on Nigeria
US congressman Darrel Issah
United States congressman, Mr Darrel Issah, has said that the U.S. government would soon relax or completely lift the restriction on military assistance imposed on Nigeria under Leahy Law.
Leahy Law is a U.S. human rights law that prohibits the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign military units that allegedly violates human rights with impunity.
Issah dropped the hint while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after meeting with service chiefs and Ministry of Defence officials in Abuja on Monday.
He said the development was occasioned by the policy of the new military command with regards to the ongoing military operations in the country.
“There were a number of things that were discussed at the meeting but basically the need for additional technical support including overhead surveillance.
This was discussed because it is important in the fight against Boko Haram.
“This is because of the trust in the new regime which has began the process of ensuring that the military’s professionalism in the battle field is made in a way that we all can be confident that the rule of law is followed.
“Following this development, we have began the process of lifting restriction under the Leahy Law but the vast majority of the support U.S. provides will be given regardless of the restrictions,’’ he said.
Issah said the U.S. would provide other forms of support that would not only boost the military’s capabilities but would also create the environment to rebuild devastated communities.
He said the U.S. through its agencies in Nigeria would help rebuild and rehabilitate communities and victims of insurgency in the northeast.
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“We are looking forward to working with the President and the military to rebuild the confidence of the people of Nigeria in the professionalism of the military.
“To make the military something that the people will rely on as the nation tries to clear insurgents and protect the civilians; that is important to the new president of Nigeria, our president and it is also important to the congress.
“But we are looking forward to a great difference in the relationship, a proactive relationship and one in which we can provide a greater level of support,’’ he said.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Mr Ismaila Aliyu, said the visit was a sign of the renewed confidence in Nigeria’s military on the global scene.
He said Nigeria now enjoyed a greater level of confidence and trust in the international community, stressing that it would impact positively on the nation’s efforts in repositioning its economy.
“The U.S. believes in Nigeria, they have trust and confidence in Nigeria, that is why they are here.
“On the issue of human rights, the U.S. is pleased with what we have been doing in recent times to address the gaps that may have existed in the past.
“This visit is a follow up to Mr President’s visit to the U.S., we have said it and will continue to state that the visit was of great benefit to Nigeria, it has rekindled confidence in the relations between the two countries,’’ he said.
NAN reports that Issah led a delegation from the U.S. congress judicial committee to the meeting with Nigeria’s top ranking defence officials.
Other issues that dominated discussions between officials of the two countries include justice reforms and support for devastated communities, among others.
The meeting is believed to be one of the gains of President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to the U.S.
http://www.today.ng/news/08033564-leahy-law-u-s-to-relax-military-assistance-restrictions-on-nigeria/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Hmmm….
I will believe this when i actually see it.
What has changed so dramatically that warrants the “adjustment” of the leahy law??
I would just love to see the U.S spinmasters go to town on this one.
Explaining away how the Nigerian army they so maligned before has become the new poster boy.
lol. Hypocrisy on steroids.
Sorry, but I trust the U.S just as far as i can spit…
Something fishy brewing. IT is within bounds to speculate that in order to step out from the provisions of the Leahy law they tell us to create a completely “pure” division with ring fences away from the main army. We need to watch out for such mindlessly arrogant and sovereignty degrading suggestions.
Is this suppose to be a new chapter in the US-Nigeria relationship ?
Hope to see used F-16 Falcon(Viper) Block 30/40/52+ fighter jets,the beast A-10 Warthug ground attack aircrafts, AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters,Blackhawks and CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters, C-130J Super Hercules transport planes for the NAF; M1A2 Abrahams MBTs,IFVs,APCs,Hummvs and some trucks and Huey choppers,and communication gadgets for the NA; Some decommissioned warships and Seahawk naval choppers,the last but not the least,used submarines.
Abi I’m day dreaming ?
hahahahahaha… you are indeed in a dream brother 🙂 but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that kind dream sha, e sweet. Nigeria must be ready to spend wisely, decisively and must also request for maintenance structures to be established in order to make any acquisitions whether from the east/west sustainable. The era of transporting and ferrying equipment overseas to be retooled is just appalling; this is how you empower Nigeria’s military industrial complex. Nothing short of this will do. must insist on a sustainable long term; one only need look at the Nigerian Navy; strategic and sustainable.
Oga Gbash10. I respect your hustle sir.
Am not sure the Warthog has ever been sold to anyone! Not even UK or Isreal. So zero chance of them selling it to us!!!
Yes you are day dreaming O!
lol
You forgot to add B 52s, Patroits and Pershing missiles. LOL
There is going to be more cooperation and arms sale between the US and Nigeria real soon. Watch out for this. Welcoming news.
Really??
If you have inside information,please, do let us know…
Need i remind you all, that we have been at this crossroads before.
Interminably waiting for non existent U.S weapons which were “on the way”…
While Boko haram was busy taking the micky on the NA.
It is noteworthy that Perm Secs have stepped up to the plate and they are doing well. Let’s make it permanent for the MOD and Petroleum Ministries.
US Legislator: Nigeria’s Military Needs Training, Not Arms
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1704438-us-legislator-nigerias-military-needs-training-not-arms/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Story don dey change again. The same Rep. Darrell Issa…
lol. Come and see, america magic
Why dont we just wait till we hear and official statement from the executive arm of the US govt or the Military itself before we know whatsup with the US and arms sales to Nigeria. the final decision and implementation on such issues lies with the executive.
The Ethiopian Counterinsurgency Doctrine
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/07/secret-ethiopia-counterterrorism-success-150728112317438.html
@ rugged7, thanks for the article very relevant to the NE, especially this extracts
“The political work involves mainly consultation with local communities and helping them in organising and arming themselves in order to fight back against threats. A soldier has a place in CT and COIN, but only in a subsidiary role to the political officer.”
By adapting aspects of the Ethiopian Doctrine to local peculiarities, other regions […] could not only alienate the leadership of the terrorist organisations but could also offer opportunity and space for local community-based mobilisation of CT and COIN strategies.
The role of political and civilian officers cannot be replaced by a soldier or military representative.
It is not a quick-fix solution, but instead, seeks to gradually weaken violent extremism by engraining anti-insurgency into the very local cultural attributes and historical legacies of toleration of societies that comprise Ethiopia.
Trust-building, understanding fears, and sharing a common vision is at the centre of this approach, but more importantly, it embraces the principle of subsidiarity that requires that any and all external actors should be backup supporters of efforts by internal forces and local communities in the fight against terrorism.
This approach also helps to build close-knit neighbourhood associations that provide community-based peace and security with effective oversight by the state.
Such a commonality makes it very difficult for both foreign and domestic extremist groups to establish themselves and operate clandestinely within communities.
Ethiopia is a better run and more advanced country than Nigeria. There is a back to the basics approach to their defence and security infrastructure and supporting structures than we have in Nigeria and there are many areas we can learn from them and this is one of them.
OGA Rugged
Your are three for three in recent days, job well done
I do not want to sound patronizing but just for those who don’t follow American politics closely Darrel Issa (Republican , California ) is from my Home state and is one of the most powerful Republican Congressmen , who signalled there intent for More MILITARY aid the other being the Republican from New York ( King) It is the biggest Irony Nigerians tend to vote democrat but are least likely to get anything from them, beyond lectures, whereas Republicans are the ones who have called for more Military stuff .
As to your question and in respect for BEEGS the answer is : Politics
Let Nigeria not sing Uhuru yet however ,
* Prior to the election/ After the election, the US did start to provide and continues to provide the Nigerian Military with Military grade Intel/
**Some of the programs used in communication are US – made .
Random insertion. Im sorry.
Chinese incompetence highlighted again. A Chinese worker lost his leg today in an escalator accident. This is barely 3 days after a Chinese woman lost her life in an escalator accident and the 7th time in a week this is happening. This is not deliberate China bashing and bears no relevance to the theme of this thread. Just highlighting the fact MADE IN CHINA HURTS. $56 million using Chinese Launch pad saw the 2nd Nigerian Satellite to fall right back to Earth. $350 million for ChiCom MIG-21 saw the loss of three Nigerian pilots to freak accidents, if we are procuring weapons looking East to China will be tantamount to repeating the same mistake. Insane.
Mr. Oje, when it comes to Chinese products, you are given what you can afford. If you take a look at The English premeir league, the jerseys are MADE IN CHINA, those that make them fake? Abeg quit this China bashing and face reality. Mistakes happen every now and then. Chinese produce substandard equipment yet they have one of the best militaries in the world today, and they are almost self sufficient, countries around the world import their equipment. Would you rather be treated like a ‘drone’ before you know the value of freedom?
Almost all in Walmart is made in China
Cant compare mass produced shirts and jorts to high tech, high precision equipment. Sorry folks… China is not there yet, if you components for heavy equipment from there you realize quality is a real issue. We are not making this up, high precision machinery with high up time and high reliability requirements are hard to make in China, its a cost conscious, high output culture that is still working on precision machinery with fine tolerance and requirements.
Oga Beeg, i just read your post citing your displeasure and i must say i do not agree with you on this one. No one is turning this thread into a political one. You cannot isolate politics from the military because policies made by politicians invariably affects the military, besides only a fraction of comments(%5) here have anything to do with politics and even at that they are short lived. I implore you to reconsider your stand on this because it broadens the scope of issues to discuss rather and allows everybody speak their mind. When people speak their mind it creates opinions and debates whic invariably make the blog appealing to diverse sets of people . Not everybody is a hardcore military enthusiast. Geo politics, strategies and politics should be allowed, so long its not about PDP and APC or Tonto Dike and Kim Kardashain.
The problem is that these Nigerian political arguments are extremely emotive and expose the worst in us all.
Everybody takes to the trenches with fixed, irreconcilable opinions that quickly degenerate into abuses.
It really leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Anyway, this is mainly a defense blog and should as much as possible remain so.
I think Oga Beegs point is quite valid
funny how some ppl are quick to rubbish Chinese products… u wanna tell me that these occurrences never happen in Western countries…na wa o…The same inferior chinese weaponry are breaking grounds n catching up with Western tech. Don’t u wonder y US advanced n sophisticated armaments r always geared towards countering n subduing CHINA N RUSSIA?? Why US always complains of espionage frm China(no b say dem no try spy on others even allies=UK, France, Germany) since dey have inferior products y worry bout them. Cos they know d power of Chinese reverse engineering, even if its not equal to original its close to; n thus helps China leap jump years of r&d which US loves saying: ‘they r 10 years behind us’. Do u know US fear China substantially more than Russia. #fact.
1. Human Resources. China has 1.7 billion population. no problem waging war with others cos of high numbers of personnel.
2. a Nuclear power. if US nuke China it will still have a population twice or thrice that of US. And if China retaliates in kind thats sure destruction for US!!
3. China has trillions of dollars of US debt. Why is everyone panicking when China lost $3 trillion??) in three weeks.
4. China is an economic powerhouse. US can’t literally outspend China as it did with Russia!! its 2nd largest economy in d world n gonna outpace US soon(less than 7 years) . China also has lots of investments in US economy running to trillions $$$.
5. Industrial powerhouse. Majority of d goods used n consumed by d world is China produced; wonder where u get ur view of chinko products. Even some US producers prefer to manufacture in China n export back to US. watched a documentary sometime last year how Obama is trying to #bring back manufacturers to US. u dey forget APPLE™, y they love retail outlets n all that launch date gimmick in China. Na China get Apple??
6. Artificial Resources. ever wonder y US keep shouting n crying ‘China hacked n espionaged on our advanced systems’. shaybi dem(US) get sophisticated equipments na, u suppose know how to handle common “CHINKO”. China espionage skills r great judging dat most of their defense systems are reversed engineered.
7. Industrial might(steel). China have d capability to out-produce US. Frm a report i read sometime ago: China is one of d largest producers of steel in d world. and another report said China’s two day steel manufacture will supply n sustain US for almost a month!! wetin u go use build d AEGIS destroyers, Bradley, Abrams, harpoon, tomahawk, Virginia sub, Nimitz n Ford AC. na kpako(stick) n gum. China also already has a warship almost as capable as d AEGIS Arleigh Burke= type 52D destroyer. China will produce more weapons way easier than US will.
8. Growth rate. China growth rates r very crazy astounding rates at 12% per annum. Last time i checked its been stable for a decade!!!! forget d slow down earlier this year, its already picking up.
9. Military Modernization. PLA,PLAN,PLANAF modernization have been very rapid for d last decade n USA don’t like that. last time i checked China’s military expenditure have been increasing while US military r experiencing cuts.
10. China is communist. China presido sef no dey dull. Their leaders brain no dull at all. More reason why they r more complicated than USSR!!
11. MONEY!!!! owo ni koko!! China no dey dull for money. They have it, they can spend it, r willing to spend it, will spend it, r spending it to make more money to b spent!!! Look at investments the world over, China is arguably d largest investor in d world. u think say their leaders foolish? they very much encourage investments for good reasons. a China with all this qualities n money is very dangerous for western interests. If Russia has all this wealth China has, trust me USA r in trouble. They wouldn’t b able to do shit. Won’t b able to shout to the world “we have the best weapons in d world” even at outrageous exorbitant prices. Russian n Chinese equipments r far less expensive than their Western counterparts. There r tons of abandoned Russian defence R&D TECHS cos of lack of funds. Thats d only saving grace for US. If not………
Look at all these facts n u will know why China is more life threatening than Russia. Wonder Where Chinese inferior stuff comes frm, abi US weaponry don’t fuck up at times. It brings to mind d M16, thats y an AK-47 will still make noise anyday anytime. Even d “SUPERIOR F-22” had some problems with pilots safety some time ago bout oxygen supply.
Now you are looking for trouble. You said everything right until it came to Tonto Dike and Kim Kardashian. I rather those people please leave them out of this.
*like those two people*
Abeg make we leave politics matter out of the blog, I think we need to keep things on focus lest we start attacking one another, I have been guilty of rising to the bait once some one starts on the Jonathan vs Buhari or whatever vs whoever is better.
I dont mind killing this and keeping the thread focused on military strategy, politics as a side note only when it affects military strategy, military procurement, TRADOC, geopolitical strategy, nationan security, COIN, intel and counter intel and politics as it affects total warfare. Psychops should be discussed also.
We also put the US on military embargo not too long ago:http://m.voanews.com/a/2544161.html
At best this has been an ambivalent relationship. There is too much latent nationalism in our leadership to accept much pushing around. Malu was a case in point.
The Nigerian army is really taking the fight to Boko Haram. Nigerian army Rocket artillery brigade pounding Boko Haram positions moments before Alpha Jets and possibly Airborne troops move into position.
Its my Birthday today.
Nigerian army Airborne troops. Doing insertions behind enemy lines or training? The Nigerian army is too frugal giving out operational information to the citizenry.
I suppose senior NAF officers know a lot about Russian and western platforms, but may be they need to see this again and stop running after dazzling mirages and distractions from the west.
Wow. If Russian fighters can beat or even equal Western fighters in avionics and radar they will be virtually unbeatable. This bird outmaneuvers the F-22, but bleeds airspeed doing that Cobra stunt, the few seconds it will take to regain airspeed might be the difference between life and death.
Hi Oje, the cobra manoeuvre is exactly meant to suddenly and drastically reduce speed so that the enemy aircraft is pursuit flies by and the hunter (pursuer) becomes the hunted. The way the Russians have perfected the skill is this; reduce speed, let the enemy overtake you, finish off the enemy with a short range missile, rocket or canon, depending on proximity and subsequent angle of attack the manoeuvre generates for Russian pilot. The entire sequence of manoeuvre, recovery and attack takes about 30-45 seconds for an experienced pilot.
Less than 20 secs that Sir, the original manoeuvre though different entry techniques was applied in the falklands by the Harrier just which were less equipped and turns slower than the Argentine Mirages, hence the Harrier pilots ( As done by any Pilot who knows his aircraft ) brought them down into their own envelope by Viffing ( vectored thrust in flight – vertical take off power vectoring) , making the Mirages hustle past and getting into his 6 o Clock kill zone for weapon lock on and kills. The aerodynamic and engines induced Cobra manoevre ( discovered by an civil pilot ,flying the light single engine aerobatic basic trainer SU 26/29 aircraft) is even more potent in the MIGs/Sukois, which has a larger kill zone due to the wide angle helmet sights. Basic principle of air to air combat is once you expose rear you are done. However the SU 35 series and a few dedicated Russian Strike aircraft carry rearward firing missiles for self defense and changing the dog fight paradigm
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20131020000096&cid=1101
That’s suicide against helmet mounted fire control systems. An F-15 can overshoot it’s target as still launch sidewinder just by the pilot turning his head. They will not survive.
Cost a fortune watching the full length using Etisalat network. Against the Euro fighter of F-15 they will pretty much find it very hard to deal with when its maneuverability does not compensate enough for its deficiency in state of the art avionic, aerial and ground communication systems, long range BVR and Stealth.
Remember that this report was done around 1995. Remember also that this report has not given insight into classified information with respect to electronic weapons systems and avionics. Lastly, Russian pilots are being trained to bring enemy pilots into visual range for dog fights. The Russian airforce up till tomorrow continues to work on strategies to force the enemy where they want it to be. Their strategy is simple, force the enemy into short range missile limits (visual range) and engage the enemy there. This is one of the areas of their arts and doctrines that continues to be ahead of the west. BVR engagement is a fantasy against adept and deadly forces like Russia (India is following in their steps in this regard too) and Stealth is useless if you’re within visual range. This is why Stealth would only be mainly useful for tactical platforms like strike aircrafts (to protect them against ground and naval based SAMs mainly) and not multirole fighter jets or interceptors.
Army set to establish brigade at Sambisa Forest
http://www.punchng.com/news/army-set-to-establish-brigade-at-sambisa-forest/
I really wonder how beneficial this would be.
1stly 1 battalion is not big enough for sambisa forest.
2ndly, it’s just not about setting up the battalion and abandoning them to their devices.
Can u provide fire support and re-enforcements to them in a timely manner??
If the answer is NO, then there is no point setting up shop.
Otherwise we will just be “dashing” bokoharam more equipments and platforms
I do not want to contradict just as a knee jerk reaction, first I believe there was a typo in your statement, the statement if I am reading correctly means a Brigade (1,500-2500)@ Sambisa which as you know is substantially largely than a battalion (800).
Before arguing the point let us assume for classifed reasons there is a template for this, Iam thinking of Adamawa State where the Task force has been very SUCCESFUL in intereacting withthe community as well as destroying BH as a force except for ther unfortunate village on the fringe
Sambisa Forests no one will argue with you is different, the best I can say is this is tied to: classified response times, it is premature to understand the decision making process but it IMHO is the right decision , in the coming weeks we shall see the results
Lastly , one thing I can confirm the decision to move the army HQ FROM Abuja to MAIDUGURI is thought by SOME officers to be the right decision @ the right time too many officers in ABUJA out of touch with reality making decisions based on phone calls to the annoyance of the officers in the N’East who believed the decision making process would be better served if the lines of communication were much shorter.
OGA Rugged be patient a LOT is going on behind the scenes some of which is classified.
@Ola:
Decades before Russian pilots displayed the Cobra, there was the Harrier Jump Jet that did exactly that via it’s own thrust vectoring by coming almost to a stop to let a an enemy zoom past. However it was much more than just a public air show stunt, this subsonic small jet took on Argentinian Mirages et al with a high tally in it’s favour allied to superb training and multi faceted array of electronics/ missiles and good old fashioned cannons.
Until the Sukhois and MiG29s’ go into battle (the latter did not fare well in both Gulf Wars) and perchance display what tactical use, if any, the Cobra is, I would not waste time on it.
Hi AOK, I find your comments interesting. You compare two different types of airframes here. Harrier cannot do the cobra, this was a manoeuvre developed by the Russians. To Start with, the Harrier is a close/ground support aircraft for troop and aircraft carriers as well as do recce missions, this is why it’s subsonic. It’s super structure cannot withstand what it takes to do the cobra manoeuvre. Cobra is different from VTOL or viffing that Harrier does…I would recommend you to see a documentary on the harrier, learn about it’s purpose and capabilities and come to a conclusion yourself.
You may want to ask why the Indian navy is replacing their Harrier with MiG 29K (or perhaps you haven’t read about it).
On the Sus and MiGs against the coalition in the gulf wars, you need to consider the fact that those machines were being flown by humans and even the best fighter jet in the world in the hands of an insufficiently trained pilot would perform woefully. An Iraqi pilot at least once downed and killed a US F-18 in a BVR engagement using a MiG 25, what about that?
Ola, find your comments interesting as well. Feel free to Google Harrier stats in combat air to air roles. I’ll look your ref to the MiG25 V F-18 data as well. My overriding point is that the Cobra is only for air shows and brings nothing to a dogfight. It’s like taking a knife to a gunfight.
Hi AOK, thanks for your advice. In addition to searching for information on google, I may actually be able to meet someone who has flown the Harrier if I ask around. I have met and had tea with few people who participated in Falklands campaign and of course they hold the RN fly boys in high esteem, I do too 🙂
On the performance of the RN against the Argentinian airforce, you need to consider two things again, first the british had advanced missiles that helped them dominate the skies, secondly, the Argentines were not so good at getting the best out of their aircrafts.
The British Built their own aircraft, the Argies bought theirs.
Oga AOK, I can’t find the video of Algerian air force again on youtube, they used their Su-30 Flanker cobra maneuver to evade an incoming enemy air to air missile at close range and broke the enemy’s missile lock.
Analysts have said it is a dogfight advantage and I saw it live in that video. Also, when powerful and equally matched jets meet in air battle and missiles are exhausted by counter measures, it becomes a gun fight, and the pilot with the super maneuverable Su-30 Flanker will kill every enemy that cannot match the Flanker’s twisting movements.
Russia invented super maneuverability for a purpose, America/Europe copied it for a reason.
JIHADOLOGY Podcast: ‘Boko Haram’ Transitions to The Islamic State in West Africa with Jacob Zenn
http://jihadology.net/2015/08/04/jihadology-podcast-boko-haram-transitions-to-the-islamic-state-in-west-africa-with-jacob-zenn/
Great JIHADOLOGY
Less than 20 secs that Sir, the original manoeuvre though different entry techniques was applied in the falklands by the Harrier just which were less equipped and turns slower than the Argentine Mirages, hence the Harrier pilots ( As done by any Pilot who knows his aircraft ) brought them down into their own envelope by Viffing ( vectored thrust in flight – vertical take off power vectoring) , making the Mirages hustle past and getting into his 6 o Clock kill zone for weapon lock on and kills. The aerodynamic and engines induced Cobra manoevre ( discovered by an civil pilot ,flying the light single engine aerobatic basic trainer SU 26/29 aircraft) is even more potent in the MIGs/Sukois, which has a larger kill zone due to the wide angle helmet sights. Basic principle of air to air combat is once you expose rear you are done. However the SU 35 series and a few dedicated Russian Strike aircraft carry rearward firing missiles for self defense and changing the dog fight paradigm
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20131020000096&cid=1101
Great contribution, sir!
Nigeria, just copy this. Let us stop complaining about shortages or embargoes. Put our money where our mouth is, I beg you Nigerian leaders, please kill…kill Boko Haram :
“The Iraqi Army Air Corps’ EC635 light helicopters are now armed with machineguns, cannons, rockets and Ingwe missiles provided by South Africa and Airbus Helicopters.
Iraq ordered 24 EC635s in 2009, with the first two being delivered in June 2011. The Iraqi Army has used its EC635s to combat Islamic State militants. Earlier this year footage emerged of the helicopters attacking Islamic State soft skinned vehicles using rockets and .50 calibre machineguns.
defenceWeb has learnt that the contract for Ingwe anti-tank missiles for the helicopters was recently concluded with Airbus Helicopters.”
http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40159:iraqi-ec635-stand-alone-weapon-system-ingwe-contract-concluded&catid=124:military-helicopters&Itemid=282
I think Nigerian army aviation should own 24 units of the Eurocopter helicopters, cheap for about $3.5 million per unit. Add FLIR and gun pod with rocket pod. Later step up to add two small anti-tank guided missiles. NA should be able to scout, patrol, respond to distress calls, evacuate wounded men, and win it’s own fights day or night without screaming NAF, NAF, NAF all the time. See how Iraqi army is now blessed with those 24 light helicopters well armed all in a bid to fight ISIS. Please lets copy this wisdom, FG.
I said as much in a previous post. Rooivaark chopper carrying Ingwe missiles. Just 12 pieces for BH and ND.
Rooivak is one the most expensive attack helicopter in the world, cost over $10,000.00 an hour (DOC) per flight , not inclusive of other essential ground support that racks up it’s fixed cost (FOC), needs to be hangered, kept out of high heat for it’s avionics suite and out of rain for moisture damage to the electrical system, SAAF is warehousing due to high cost and need to specially manufacture spares to keep airworthy, this helicopters would not achieve any that NAF’s current Mi-24/35 helicopters would not achieve if properly deployed, there is no other magic bullet but proper training,experience and acquired proficiency by the operators, having seen both types operating in action sside by side in the field, their is no advantages the Rooivalk has over the Mi24/35 series, (which have much more dispatch reliability – 99%).
Our crew need to have more flight experience (in addition to training) under belt, average flight time required for flying Medium attack/tactical helicopter should be total of 1000 flt hour for the PIC.
The hind is a strange and powerful beast for fresh pilots. I am sure their must be a syllabus of experience and training from the light attacks through Mi171 and the hind (more difficult to fly than the T129s), any thing else would be courting losses to non combat atrrition. No short cuts
Thanks
http://news.yahoo.com/cameroon-expels-thousands-nigerians-boko-haram-fight-113543988.html
Dear Oga’s , Hahahaha, After leaving the shores of Nigeria, chopping and dining to their hearts content, getting their moments of fame, the assessment of the delegation in their brief stay, during which they claim they were able to assess then level of the Nigerian military from their hotel rooms and banquet hall is as follows, http://news.yahoo.com/us-legislator-nigerian-military-needs-training-not-arms-124325805.html. They wait till they leave the shores of Nigeria and no longer out numbered by the teaming hordes of black faces then drop the bomb shell, Hahaha, Fellow countryman, we go wait for F16, Apaches, till BH’s hell freezes over. The earlier our guys get on with the work with the equipment we have and can access, the better, After all, uncle Sam’s stock cost at least double what we are paying now. These guys are just ringing bell of those of us who are subservient to them, they use words like “help” instead of “assisting” address us. ( both mean about the same thing but fit different narratives, the first for a clown who does not have a clue of what to do and the latter for joining forces with a respected partner), this were not used in Ethiopia
The question is still which US major weapon system has ever been deployed by the NIgerian Military, the any is none (Even the C130 are non lethal, civil type, reduced power export versions ) down. This is all about our dear County Nigeria, not about the idea that some of us would swear by Uncle Sam, while in actually in the states a street cop would kill or humiliate them on instinct ( God dam African immigrant thinks he is actually one of us).
Capt Tobias Wilcock. I respect your hustle sir.
hehehehehehe 🙂 we are not surprised. Obviously, America, and her congressmen came to test the waters to ascertain and confirm if the necessary requirements to be fulfilled by Nigeria and her military have been agreed to in principle since the appointment of the new service chiefs; Nigeria apparently hasn’t budged an inch hence the embargo continues. This is evident in the congressmen’s double speak before and after their meetings with the president and the service chiefs. The Americans want in so bad, hehehehe, they seriously want to be physically involved in Nigeria’s war. Nigeria’s to democratically astute to accept such glaring Greek gifts. As long as Nigeria exist, she will continue to vehemently oppose Africom on African soil. Naija, i hail thee.
Oga mcshegz, Thank for filling me in, Nigeria for ever, Naija pride of all Bronze people, destined for greatness, My lovely home.
Sorry typo – The question is still which major US weapon system has ever been deployed by the Nigerian Military, the answer is NONE. Training to do what ? to think, to Plan, to operate Russian equipment or Shoot AK 47. It would be better they give advisory and consultancy contract to the Bloggers on Bee eagle.
Great to see the NA guys taking to fight to BH
Why have we been begging at the feet of
the U.S for this long? Why must a
Nigerian president think that being in
the good book of America is akin to
being legitimate and up-to-the-task?
America has chosen to ignore us
systematically,cant we just be dignified
enough to also deal with them strictly
based on interest?
Who says we cant develop without them-
thesame America that wont give you
critical technology for self-reliance; that
would also cajole or prevent others from
helping?
We want sophisticated arms and
weaponry. It isnt rocket science to
decypher that American arms are actually
very highly priced and maintenance-
intensive,in contradistinction with
Russian arms that are moderately priced
and very battle-rugged,offsetting its,at
times,lack of sophistication with a high
rate of reliability and availability. We
seem not to know that on many
occassions,right at the frontlines(no-
man’sland)American soldiers allegedly
binned their M16s for the AK47 obviously
due to the former’s fragility. Why should
we invest in Apaches when we could
actually get a couple of Hinds or Havoc
for same price.
Imagine the difference it would have
made if our downed Alpha jet pilots had
flown in the heavily armoured Sukhoi Su
25(Ivory Coast had these jets).
Imagine the difference it would have
made if our army tank formations were
actually ‘tanked’ with T90s with ERA
(Uganda has T90s)
Imagine what difference it would have
made if our airforce had MiG 29s to
guard our airspace(CHAAAAD does) or
Mil 28 to relentlessly sniff over the
airspace of the Sambisa(Kenya has Mil
28s).
Imagine if our Hilux ‘technicals’ were
recalled in favour of 12.7mm and 14mm
HMGs-rigged Proforce’s armoured
“Leopards”.
Imagine the difference if we had more
Chinese CH3 armed drones with PGMs
(America wouldnt sell Predators to us-
Rapists and Murderers-but they wouldnt
mind gifting MANPADS to “moderate”
Jihadists).
Imagine if we had armed Kilo subs
patrolling our EEZ(America would only
give us defanged cutters,atleast,it gives
us that fake sense of security)…
hmmm,Imagine if Nigeria were a young
man,he would definitely be a slowpoke!
Pax Nigeriana…Viva Nigeria
Good day bloggers…Why have we been begging at the feet of
the U.S for this long? Why must a
Nigerian president think that being in
the good book of America is akin to
being legitimate and up-to-the-task?
America has chosen to ignore us
systematically,cant we just be dignified
enough to also deal with them strictly
based on interest?
Who says we cant develop without them-
thesame America that wont give you
critical technology for self-reliance; that
would also cajole or prevent others from
helping?
We want sophisticated arms and
weaponry. It isnt rocket science to
decypher that American arms are actually
very highly priced and maintenance-
intensive,in contradistinction with
Russian arms that are moderately priced
and very battle-rugged,offsetting its,at
times,lack of sophistication with a high
rate of reliability and availability. We
seem not to know that on many
occassions,right at the frontlines(no-
man’sland)American soldiers allegedly
binned their M16s for the AK47 obviously
due to the former’s fragility. Why should
we invest in Apaches when we could
actually get a couple of Hinds or Havoc
for same price.
Imagine the difference it would have
made if our downed Alpha jet pilots had
flown in the heavily armoured Sukhoi Su
25(Ivory Coast had these jets).
Imagine the difference it would have
made if our army tank formations were
actually ‘tanked’ with T90s with ERA
(Uganda has T90s)
Imagine what difference it would have
made if our airforce had MiG 29s to
guard our airspace(CHAAAAD does) or
Mil 28 to relentlessly sniff over the
airspace of the Sambisa(Kenya has Mil
28s).
Imagine if our Hilux ‘technicals’ were
recalled in favour of 12.7mm and 14mm
HMGs-rigged Proforce’s armoured
“Leopards”.
Imagine the difference if we had more
Chinese CH3 armed drones with PGMs
(America wouldnt sell Predators to us-
Rapists and Murderers-but they wouldnt
mind gifting MANPADS to “moderate”
Jihadists).
Imagine if we had armed Kilo subs
patrolling our EEZ(America would only
give us defanged cutters,atleast,it gives
us that fake sense of security)…
hmmm,Imagine if Nigeria were a young
man,he would definitely be a slowpoke!
Pax Nigeriana…Viva Nigeria!
Thank you sir. I have some disagreements with your view of American equipment but your heart is in the right place with self sufficiency.
@Maduka you are the man, wish they would take this in
PRESSTV.COM: An Apache helicopter gunship operated by Saudi military forces has been downed by the Yemeni air defense forces in western Yemen, local media say.
Yemeni media outlets said on Wednesday that the Yemeni army’s air defense forces downed the helicopter with a surface-to-air missile in the district of Harad in the western province of Hajjah.
In late May, Yemeni air defense forces also shot down a Saudi F-16 fighter jet in the northwestern province of Sana’a as it was conducting airstrikes against the country.
GO EAST OR GO WEST, FAILURE IS GUARANTEED.
WHY NOT FAIL WHILE LEARNING TO BUILD YOURS;
WHY NOT GO NIGERIA.
NAIJA I HAIL THEE
Oga Maduka Oluwafemi. I respect your hustle sir.
All this gyration and depression over America has gone on for too long. Very embarrassing that we are still at this stage of looking to buy from a reluctant seller.
The outcome of this is after this blows over, let American influence be significantly whittled at least in the Nigerian state. Their so called training has not being extremely useful vs external techniques as applied and taught by EO to 7 Div for example. No point getting half baked tutorials from trainers who choose to pass on basic knowledge while hoarding their advanced doctrines. Reads like the line of what Eeben states, that African armies were trained up by western nations to be effectively useless to fight their own home challenges.
No point restating the common theme here about alternative places to get weapons.
@ Kay, did you see the video posted here a while ago of the Nigerian SBS training American Marines on shooting techniques used from mobile and unstable platform (boats), this training thing is nonsense, We have trained enough people to have training locally adapted effectively to our circumstances. Even the National football team has matured to using local coaches, the Medical team did not need training to stop Ebola ( Life and Death situation demanding full self confidence), The Mobile phone industry has been mastered by Nigerians, Why is our military made to appear lagging behind and clueless in their area of core competence..
During the last world cup, imagine the Eagle then asking for foreign coach in Brazil , during the moment of truth. We need also heroes who are not at the battle field, but behind there desks at the military headquarters that would stand up and say it as it is, without fear of being stigmatized and lead us out of this endless scenario created by western narratives. He should bring on Training, Experience and Knowledge embedded in the Nigerian Military traditions.
Indeed Captain T, we can draw strength and experiences from those who have excelled in similar situations than from than those content to show us how to shoot at trees. Most of all, I’d stated over and over again that I’m hoping we are also drawing up new doctrines from this experience.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/04/us/new-york-west-point-couple-attack/?iid=ob_article_topstories_pool&iref=obnetwork
Having read some of the links fellow contributors have shared on this blog with respect to the US congressional delegation to Nigeria, I have this to say.
I don’t blame the US, I blame Nigeria. It is Nigeria that gave the US larger than life relevance, this is why they misbehave. After all, in terms of GDP, Nigeria is still richer than India. Despite being the country with the largest population of poor people in the world, India has proudly grown their space and defence capability without looking to the US for anything. US needs to be placed where they belong, the US belongs outside of what is happening! President Buhari needs to stop pursuing the idea of begging the US and focus on developing strategic partnership with countries that matter. The sad thing is that Nigeria is in a more difficult situation now than it was, say 2 years. If 2 years ago, we had turned to Russia to for training and supplies of NAF, the situation would have been different. Now Russia has the justifiable right to give us sky high prices or even turn us down if we go to them simply because we make them look like the second best and the last option. Nevertheless, it is still not too late for Nigeria to source what she needs from other faithful suppliers, if Nigeria really means business.
Here is what I would do if I had the means to steer the affairs of armed forces of Nigeria:
1. I would create strategic partnership with Russia, China, France and Germany for our armed forces, something like a vision 2050. Total independence of our armed forces and making our armed forces one of the top 10 in the world by 2050.
2. I would turn to Russia for all NAF rotary and fixed wings as well as air defence systems (radars and SAMs)
3. Russia for all heavy equipment for the army (T-90 tanks, BTR-90s, BMP-3s e.t.c)
4. Germany and Russia for heavy artillery and self propelled howitzers like Panzerhaubitze 2000, IFVs, AFVs and APCs while we also promote local platforms like Igirigi and Pf2 Leopard
5 France, China and local industries like Nigerdock for Naval platforms.
6. Russia and China for missiles for all armed forces.
7. Russia, China and Sweden for the development of domestic military industries and bringing in Nigerians with deep pockets and current players in defence and heavy automobile industries to participate.
While all these are happening, I would make sure Nigeria stays silent and withdrawn on the world stage. No serious joint military training with the US. I would make sure we do joint military training with the UK, India and Pakistan. SF training will be with Russia and the UK.
FLINTLOCK and the likes would be for fresh intakes in the army. I think Nigerian soldiers don’t need training on how to hold their rifles, tie their shoe laces or roll in the dirt, they get enough of that at home, don’t they. This way, the army can be completely transformed within a short time without even thinking of the US. Of course, when Nigerian officials meet US officials, they can shake hands, smile for the cameras share tea, and pat each other on the back like BFF. Isn’t Nigeria the most strategic partner of the US in the region after all? (By the way, this is one of the slogans of Obama to other nations 🙂 )
Your analysis is spot on.
For some reason, the ogas at the top just refuse to see the light that is being shoved directly in their eyeballs.
If they listened to half the advice on this blog, the armed forces would not be in this dire straits…
@ Ola, I fully agree with you except for the inclusion of the French, they are our main adversaries in the region, You would appreciate even in the posted Falklands video, how quick they withdrew and cancelled all weapon orders from the Argies ( more or less a western nation not to talk of Nigeria), the only way is if we reach an agreement with them to both jointly colonize all these laid back countries around us with the most serious form of inferiority complex. ( since the francophone think they were created less than Europeans by God).
What is training ? , it is simple identifying and addressing a fault or need by applying acquired knowledge to improve effectiveness.
– Soldiers using too much ammo – teach them the effect of their rounds and fire control classes
– Pilots losing aircraft to handling – go back to specific related handling course and aerodynamics.
– BH forces disengaging and retreating (hit and Run) – the planner brain storm and come up with specifics plans to match the terrain, cutting off bridges, funnel passage through mountainous terrain and pick out ambush points, etc
– Boko Haram scattering after sighting jet fighter,- carryout combined raid with gunships circling and closing in on the periphery of the target area to take out up less defended foot soldiers, while fast jets concentrate on taking out truck mounted AA guns and Supply trucks ( fuel and ammo).
It not has easy as I have put it, because I am sure we have a lot of officers who have core competence in this area.
My Point is that all we require is a machinery cutting across board that
– identifies the problem.
– Draw on the archives of knowledge ( ECOWAS, DAFUR, SOMALIA, Oga EEBEN’s group, Oversea courses).
– Brain storms on an adequate solution. ( Field commanders, instructors, Old experience)
– Documents this outcome and passes it on as a field / training manual content for adoption by actual operating units encountering these scenarios, using a method of repetition under instructors ( training).
I would also include that our intelligence officers should contact the arrested S. American Drug submarine builders to get technical knowledge and data to start similar naval project under strict control in Nigeria. After all the first repeater rifle from Winchester or Remington was franchised by the prison warder, where the maker was serving time for killing a sheriff during a prohibited alcohol bust, He was concerned that if his rifle could fire more, he would have killed the deputy and other members of the posse and escaped arrest, so he went to the prison workshop and designed the first repeater rifle, this was seized by the chief warder, who promised to get him an early release if he would go straight and go into a partnership with him. So at times “Good” comes out of evil
Over the past 1 week NAF 565 has been flying really low every 2 days at a location very near Naval Air Station, Lagos….. Whats Happening?
http://lindaikeji.blogspot.com/2015/08/photos-troops-remove-mines-and-ieds.html#more
http://lindaikeji.blogspot.com/2015/08/photo-suicide-bomber-disguised-as.html
well said oga ola. i dont know why we are so obsessed with this pax americana. nothing good can come out of this. when did we start using american weaponry? they have never been our traditional arms supplier. so why the lust now.
this is just mere excuse from our political leaders, and laziness from our military top brass. what happened to pax nigeriana? we seem to have lost our sense of self belief, pride, and innovation that made us unique in the african continent.
ours is a case of myopic thinking and lack of vision. if we know what we really want, we should be able to plot path to the esteemed height we so deserve.
the americans will end up bringing in more problems than solving any. now they are back to syria, looking for a backdoor in. under the falsehood of fighting phantom terrorists with branded franchise, they would end up start targeting syrian army positions. never seen a nation whose jugular veins are so interconnected with war profiteers and racketeers. its truly sad.
”interconnected and hijacked by war profiteers, racketeers and immoral lobbyists”
http://saharareporters.com/2015/08/04/nigeria%E2%80%99s-former-national-security-adviser-n175-billion-cash-arms-fraud
Not a fan of that outlet, but there is some interesting stuff in that link
On this one I think the only issue is delayed delivery or vendor failure to perform. All in all having a single point accountable person over the quick procurerment aspects of the war right in the President’s office was a good strategy since institutional agility was required and quick decision making at the highest level which the ONSA provided. No MOD would have given that. The problem with handling large volumes of cash however is that it exposes the particular official to all manner of reputationAl risks. If the President at the time had been a little more skilled in war management, there would have been a mini security cabinet of NSA, CDS and MOD meeting thrice a week to approve these things. That way everyone is in the loop and things are better monitored. As it is the ex NSA has to carry this cross.
In reality, though there is definately a problem on the choice of the middle man and costing, contrary to the general believe, if you are a nation being targeted by embargoes / US vetos, you would never get a Govt to Govt sales from any Western Country, go and ask Iran how it kept it’s western air fleet flying or how Pakistan got it’s nuclear program running, apart form the a few former Soviet republics and Russia, most arm sales are done with the individual manufacturing company ( A lot of the former Soviet countries would operate very fast using their designated middle-companies, who would unoffically take care of their interest) , while the host government gives necessary approvals, and in most cases where there is an international veto problem, the Manufacturers have “minders” within their Government , with whom they have shared interests and are taken care of through middle men. High tech and cutting edge stuff usually do not come from Govt to Govt,, but most likely Govt to Company ( Same in the US, but kept under the raps).
This looks like a delay in delivery and also the Middle company taking advantage of their connection to No 1 to be lax, ( I cannot defend the inflated figures).
“In some of the most intense international air combat exercises ever featuring the Indian Air Force, IAF pilots flying Sukhoi 30 MKI fighters had a resounding 12-0 scoreline in their favour against Royal Air Force Typhoon jets in Within Visual Range (WVR) dogfighting operations.”
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indian-air-forces-top-guns-score-wins-in-the-uk-1204336?pfrom=home-lateststories
@ Bharat,
Thanks that was a great read,
Notably, in the exercise where a lone Su-30 was engaged by two Typhoons, the IAF jet emerged the victor ‘shooting’ down both ‘enemy’ jets. Also the Su30 seems to have proved itself in the BVR engagements as well and also it still cost less than similar western Fighter aircraft
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/photos-indias-su-30mki-flankers-sparred-with-raf-typho-1722373860
Thanks Captain.
There we go again.
Oga Ola, your incessant anti American sabre rattling is why Nigeria is in this mess and nothing changes because we keep making excuses for our corrupt and incompetent cronies we call leaders. There is no where in the American constitution where it says the U.S is obligated to fight Nigeria’s fight. The U.S was not involved when Nigerian troops liberated Liberia. The U.S was not involved when the Nigerian military invaded S-Leone, dislodged the militants and restored democracy(ironically Nigeria was under military dictatorship). The U.S was scarcely involved when the Nigerian army forced the militants to accept the Amnesty program. Te Nigerian military has never in its 50+ year history relied on American weapons. Why are we blaming America for Boko Haram? Fine they refused selling us arms, so what? if they did we probably will not be able to pay or maintain it anyway. The hand me down ex U.S Coastguard cutter (Now NNS Thunder) the U.S Navy gifted Nigeria is a prime example. It costs $1 million A MONTH just to fuel that vessel. American weapons are scarcely for 3rd world countries, except maybe for oil rich countries. In Egypt’s case the U.S has strong diplomatic liasons because Egypt is used as a moderating counter weight between the Middle East and its America’s ally Israel, as a result Egypt gets billions of dollars in American aid to fund its military, money which at the end of the day will be used to buy American weapons.
So our criminal pot bellied politicians care more about their pockets and families than the general good of Nigeria. %50 of the little money that trickles down for capital expenditure is embezzled by Chiefs of Staffs and Commanders, the remaining %50 is used to buy inferior products. I still cant reconcile in m,y head how the Nigerian ministry of defense spent a quarter of a billion dollars buying those Chinese Fishbeds as our front-line fighters. Those birds can not defend an airbase much less the Nigerian airspace. Between mid 2014 and now $7 billion has been spent on security, can anyone here account for how the money was spent?….of course, keeping with the old tradition and culture of buying cheap crap, while the windfall is embezzled. Cheap Tanks, Helicopters without missiles, zero air defense missile batteries, refurbished Alpha Jets, Executive Helicopters, limited Radios, zero standard assault rifles. The Nigerian army is the only army in the world that uses the AK-47 as the standard rifle, that’s a rifle associated with militias and terrorists not national militarizes. Mean well our Dinosaur of a President raised our hopes that real change as come by relocating the Nigerian army operational HQ from Abuja to Maiduguri, the heart of the insurgency. After this he has spent N4 billion naira in two months traveling round the world, especially to hitherto insignificant countries. What business has the President of Africa’s superpower visiting Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon? Our President paid a diplomatic visit to the White House, two weeks later Obama visits Kenya, then Ethiopia, not Nigeria. Isn’t it time we spend more time and energy holding our leaders accountable? than allowing nationalistic sentiments cloud our sense of judgement. I just dont understand why we keep encouraging our leaders to steal by making excuses for their excess and complacency.
Oje, I hate to use strong words or engage in spats with people, but I find your opening statement “Oga Ola, your incessant anti American sabre rattling is why Nigeria is in this mess and nothing changes because we keep making excuses for our corrupt and incompetent cronies we call leaders.” rather blind, misdirected and ignorant. I would advice you to pause and read through the things you write before you post them. You may want to make reference to your corrupt leaders that I have made excuses for here meanwhile.
And how is your closing statement related to anything I have ever posted here? You may want to read it again; “Isn’t it time we spend more time and energy holding our leaders accountable? than allowing nationalistic sentiments cloud our sense of judgement. I just dont understand why we keep encouraging our leaders to steal by making excuses for their excess and complacency”
Kindly take a bit of time to read and reason through whatever I post in the future before you react to it. Thanks.
Posted a new never seen picture of a Super Puma of the Nigerian Airforce NAF 565 and its still under moderation for over 5 hours.
where is the link?
Most times it does huge loops around the neighborhood and more than thrice got so low as few meters to the ground.
That craft has been circling my area incessantly for days….i expected the synagogue man to have complained about it before his buildings come crumbling again
@ Gen Hannibal. Then we must live pretty close to each other.
Easing Into Submarine Building: Lessons For Future Proliferates.
Let’s talk sub proliferation! It’s no secret that, for any “on-the-move” developing country, an operational indigenous submarine production capability is the “hot” “must-have” naval accessory.
And that’s great. Done right, sub production is an audacious industrial achievement–an exercise in manufacturing mastery, where precision, quality and engineering innovation come together to ensure the survival of humans hundreds of meters below surface.
It’s not entirely a win-win proposition, though. Aside from the prestige of joining a small-but-growing club of elite international manufacturers, sub production–if a country can’t export their products or maintain a steady production line–comes with surprisingly few lasting strategic or economic benefits. Unless fed, all that fancy infrastructure just…crumbles.
But developing countries just don’t seem to care. I don’t know what it is, but, with subs, rationality just seems to go out the window. Egged on by an eager array of sub salesmen (from France, Germany, Sweden, South Korea, Russia, Italy….even Spain), far too many countries underestimate the steep price of admission as they rush off down the “standard” developmental pathway–going from buying sophisticated foreign subs to building SSKs from kits/prefab modules and then moving to licensed production and beyond.
First Subs Are Usually Pricey, Decade-long Experiences in Pain:
It’s often a case of countries biting off too much complexity, too soon. Frankly, I am unaware of many countries whose initial experience in large-scale, sophisticated submarine manufacture ended happily, with a product delivered on-time, on-budget and trouble-free.
Many countries find their flirtation with submarine production to be too big of an investment to complete, and quit, mid-program. Argentina failed with the TR-1700. Greece’s court-encumbered effort to domestically produce the Papanikolis Class (German Type 214) is a festering sore that is likely not to be repeated soon.
Sustainment is a problem. Several countries produced good subs (and darn good subs at that), but found the investment too hard to sustain. Australia’s experiment with the Collins Class sub may well have driven that country out of the sub production business. Even the Netherlands may step out, and not replace their well-regarded (and home-produced) Walrus Class.
But, difficult as it is, sub production is here to stay, and, despite flailing in their initial efforts, other builders will stay in the game, building/developing subs outside they purvey of the the standard “legacy” sub designers/builders–Sweden, Germany, Russia and the U.S. But moving from kit-built to producing a foreign design and then to domestic production of a local design is not a fun process.
Pain just seems to be part of the agenda.
petersburg in peril!Listing the Trauma:
Rough starts are legion.
Brazil’s experiment with producing German Type 209/1400’s (the Tupi and Tikuna Class) was a mess–It took the first Brazilian-built Sub nine years to go from a keel authentication into naval service.
China–and we won’t belabor China’s evolution here as we are focusing primarily on the proliferation of Western designs–mass-produced shoddy knockoffs of Russian subs for decades, and then endured her share of issues and challenges as the country transitioned to home-grown designs.
India’s effort to kit-build two S-44 Shishumar Class (a German Type 209/1500) was a rough experience (years late and costing twice as much as the German-built subs), and their effort to build a French Scorpene (Project 75) is probably going to see the first hull enter service after an epic ten-year build cycle.
Spain’s experience producing the S-70 Agosta Class with French help was rough, and their subsequent independent effort has led to an overweight S-80 Class.
Pakistan’s first home-built Agosta-90B Class sub took more than ten years to build.
The outcome of Indonesia’s effort have South Korea’s Daewoo Corporation hand over enough know how to build a Type 209/1400 has yet to be determined.
(I’ll reserve a discussion of Iran and North Korea’s sub production efforts for later.)
Building ‘Em Trumps Reverse Engineering:
What is really interesting about the countries with more “successful” sub-building programs is that several of those countries had tinkered with mini-sub production. (Now, I’ll caveat this by saying that national minisub development/manufacture aren’t covered deeply by the usual open-source outlets (hint, hint guys) so take this observation with a big grain of salt, OK?).
Caveats aside, contributions from mini-sub production is something that, I suspect, is underestimated as a risk-reduction exercise. Mini-sub programs are easy to overlook and a little harder for host countries to justify–they’re not shining and dramatic examples of national manufacturing prowess, and, unless produced in numbers, they don’t turn the needle strategically. They’re often dismissed as curiosities–or low-status gear that only an impoverished, desperate country like North Korea or Iran would use (which, uh, they, um have actually used to, ah, sink stuff).
But that’s the point.
Mini-subs–successful or not–give the builder a taste for the complexities of sub manufacture, and allow the building country a low-pressure/low cost way to develop a small cadre of competent manufacturers, designers, operators, maintainers and suppliers before jumping into a “large-scale” SSK production program. A mini-sub failure is a lot less of a big deal than, say, screwing up your shaft alignment in your first full-scale SSK.
I’ll even wager that “learning-by-doing” with mini-subs offers more longer-term advantages to the host country than, say, a wholesale effort to reverse-engineer larger-scale projects or intel takings. China may have produced a ton of low-tech Russian knock-off subs, but all that production-by-reverse-engineering didn’t keep China from suffering in their transition to (cough) largely home-designed (cough cough) submarine production.
There’s a world of difference in having a blueprint to follow and understanding, through first-hand experience, just why the sub you want to build is built the way that they are.
If pressed, I’d even suggest that mini-subs do more for the host-country’s basic sub-building infrastructure than, say, refits of existing submarines. Certainly, conducting successful refits of existing platforms should be interpreted as a potential indicator of future sub-building (I’ve written about that here), but…in itself, successful refits don’t guarantee that an initial attempt at sub building will be pain-free. Lots of countries in the list of “pain” above had been successfully maintaining their boats for years and refitting ’em.
The Future:
Submarines will continue to proliferate, and countries will continue to try and build their own boats. But it’ll be interesting to see if other countries learn from their predecessors–or if they continue to make the same mistakes everybody else has made–and end up spending, on average, a decade or more building their first home-brewed boat.
But by now, there’s plenty of data to allow aspiring sub-builders to make more informed decisions. Given the importance–and greater appreciation of–unmanned or smaller subs, I’d expect quite a few other countries are out there right now, tinkering with their own “small boat” design (How is Chile’s domestic-built Crocodile Class mini-sub-building effort doing anyway?).
If mini-subs do actually serve as a positive indicator for successful initial prosecution of full-scale sub production, I’ll also be quite interested to see how the nexus of South American sub-oriented smuggling hybridize and inform future sub-building efforts in South America. Plenty of U.S. naval innovations came from smugglers, and, well, at some point, somebody’s gotta break that lock Sweden, Germany and France have on the export sub market!
Sorry for forgetting to post the link to the above article.
http://nextnavy.com/easing-into-sub-building-lessons-for-future-proliferators/
I believe this is the video being circulated as insertion of airborne troops behind enemy lines
LOL
There is something wrong with the comportment and tribal like dancing and jubilation, it project some problems with discipline and lack of military clockwork organization. No offence, but pls go and check out the turn out of the Nigerian Military in the past (videos from the 60s, 70s and early 80s. The Military should bear an unflinching and un emotional discipline as Steel. This events turns out to become rowdy.
Designed by former Cos.Mo.S engineers at Vapor Industrial, the Chilean Crocodile 250 Class (Crocodillo) midget submarine is the first such craft designed in Latin America. It is only slightly larger than the Cold War Cos.Mo.S MG110 design but is much more heavily armed and boasts Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) which greatly increases its covert loiter capability. It is also unusual among midget submarines in that it has impulsion for the torpedo tubes allowing the carriage of non-swim-out loads such as anti-ship missiles. Load is still limited by weight so only two tubes can be used for anti-ship missiles at a time.
The design features a partial double-hull with a smaller diameter inner hull for the forward section and a full-bean single hull construction in the aft. This allows for external torpedo tubes to be buried in the forward hull. One minor disadvantage of this configuration is that these tubes can only be reloaded when the submarine is hauled out of the water. Beneath the forward hull is a sealed battery compartment tube.
One curious feature of the boat is that in many illustrations the lower rudder appears to extend too low beneath the boat to allow it to sit on the sea floor. This limits both mission profiles and special forces options as it is sometimes preferable to bottom the submarine before the divers exit or re-enter.
Despite significant differences the design heritage to the MG110 is clear. The separate sealed battery tubes under the hull is one give away. Note however the significantly more modern aft section and the moving of the torpedo tubes from on top of the hull to the lower sides.
Specifications
Length: 33 meters
Beam: 3.6m meter
Displacement: 250 tons
Maximum speed: 8 kts (surfaced), 12 kts (submerged)
Operating depth: 200m
Endurance (without surfacing): 100nm at cruising speed of 4kts, 200nm with AIP in operation
Endurance (patrol): 2500nm
Armament: 4 x 533mm (21″) torpedo tubes. 4 torpedoes or 2 anti-ship missiles (Exocet, Harpoon) plus 2 torpedoes.
Crew: 9
Special Forces: 6
Another post of mine detailing how the Nigerian Navy can partner The Chilean Government/Chilean Navy in having an indigenous coastal patrol submarine has been out on you comment has gone to moderation.
Designed by former Cos.Mo.S engineers at Vapor Industrial, the Chilean Crocodile 250 Class (Crocodillo) midget submarine is the first such craft designed in Latin America. It is only slightly larger than the Cold War Cos.Mo.S MG110 design but is much more heavily armed and boasts Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) which greatly increases its covert loiter capability. It is also unusual among midget submarines in that it has impulsion for the torpedo tubes allowing the carriage of non-swim-out loads such as anti-ship missiles. Load is still limited by weight so only two tubes can be used for anti-ship missiles at a time.
The design features a partial double-hull with a smaller diameter inner hull for the forward section and a full-bean single hull construction in the aft. This allows for external torpedo tubes to be buried in the forward hull. One minor disadvantage of this configuration is that these tubes can only be reloaded when the submarine is hauled out of the water. Beneath the forward hull is a sealed battery compartment tube.
One curious feature of the boat is that in many illustrations the lower rudder appears to extend too low beneath the boat to allow it to sit on the sea floor. This limits both mission profiles and special forces options as it is sometimes preferable to bottom the submarine before the divers exit or re-enter.
Despite significant differences the design heritage to the MG110 is clear. The separate sealed battery tubes under the hull is one give away. Note however the significantly more modern aft section and the moving of the torpedo tubes from on top of the hull to the lower sides.
Specifications
Length: 33 meters
Beam: 3.6m meter
Displacement: 250 tons
Maximum speed: 8 kts (surfaced), 12 kts (submerged)
Operating depth: 200m
Endurance (without surfacing): 100nm at cruising speed of 4kts, 200nm with AIP in operation
Endurance (patrol): 2500nm
Armament: 4 x 533mm (21″) torpedo tubes. 4 torpedoes or 2 anti-ship missiles (Exocet, Harpoon) plus 2 torpedoes.
Crew: 9
Special Forces: 6
@mnlo1, thank you very much for this educative insight into the Mini Sub, this is really great reading and fantastic illustration, the Crocodile class would be a fantastic start for the Navy and very effective in patrolling our coastal area taking into consideration the level of threat we face.
@mnlo1, would you be referring to the Exocet/Harpoon as ” non Swim Missiles” and are the launched while the sub is submerged or surface to launch.
Also how much do this Mini Croc Subs cost
http://dailypost.ng/2015/08/06/happening-now-boko-haram-soldiers-in-gun-battle-in-yobe-town/
The Nigerian Navy as at 2009, has a 5-10 year plan of acquiring among other things two conventional submarines from china; on, before, or after the delivery of these conventional submarines, the most logical next step would be to engage in the manufacture of Nigerian submarines. The Navy has been one arm of the security forces that has stood out most recognizably for implementing laid out short term and long term plans, as evident in the manufacture of Nigerian ships for its use. NSS Andoni.
The Nigerian Navy has also vowed to minimize import orders for ships of between 10 and 38 metres in size, because they have the capacity and capability to build them in-house.
Needless to say the Chilean Crocodile class submarine coupled with the experience and technical support from the Chinese would definitely make sure that we do not put all our eggs in one basket; having a two-pronged approach would ensure greater sustainability and more open source manufacture.
NAIJA I HAIL THEE
Agreed OGA mcshegz
One of the Mantra’s of One of Nigeria’s Billionaires has been in order to acheive great success ,start small.
While nottaking away from the now apparent extensive defense related relationship between Nigeria and China, The NN can partner up with the Chilean Govt to parrot your words OGA mchshegz, to add to your point, it is hoped the Nigerian Navy reads this blog enough to come up with their own Nigerian Ideas or better yet borrow a leaf from what the Nigerian airforce is doing: team up with the Coastal Universities and Polytechnics in the South West , South South, South East and arrange a competition of building a completely submersible mini sub that must be able to travel 1km out to sea and drop to a depth of at least 33meters ( 100 ft) and the Winning University gets a prize of N10 Million, nothing is stopping Nigeria.
Very Brilliant idea to start the ball rolling, may be $1M+ would be a better incentive (N10M is like only $50k , Big Brother show money), to cover the cost of research and manufacture, plus funds to jump start the winning department to improve on it’s research, lab equipments attract first class lecturers and personnel.
ENERGYMIXREPORT.COM: West Africa’s foremost manufacturer of pressure vessels, process equipment and steel structures, Energy Works Technology Limited (EWT) has unveiled the first ever 90mm Stainless Steel Clad Separator built in Nigeria.
According to EWT, a sister company to Nestoil, a leading EPCC Company; the 90mm Stainless Steel Clad Separator is part of the “Local Fabrication of Pressure Vessels “ project of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), which is aimed at deepening local content in the Oil and Gas sector by improving the capacity of indigenous Oil and Gas companies.
In his contribution, the Managing Director, EWT Limited, Engr. Emeka Nnadi, noted that the successful completion of the 90mm thick, 316 stainless steel clad Inlet Separator has demonstrated the viability of the Nigerian Content Development Project and its potential impact on the Nigerian economy.
NAIJA I HAIL THEE
IT Capacity Development; National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) signs MOU with Covenant University
We need more of this government-academia cooperation.
Having trouble posting comments
Men, a lot of good things have been happening here…and I missed it! Hmm
Marshal Beegz, I heard u sir
Ogas Rugged, Capt and Are, I salute. I took time to read this “the secret of Ethiopia’s CT success” and I went beyond the article itself and patiently read all the comments. While I can pick a couple of agreeable point here, I’m not really swayed by this article. For one, more arm in our society will only lead to more crisis and death. I really don’t see how applicable this is in Nigeria.
Oga Are, Ethiopia is better run and a more advance country than Nigeria! Scratching my head here sir. I think that the basic principle is ok but application Ethiopian style is impracticable here.
The second comment by Thomas Paul is quite interesting and was the question that came to mind when I was going through the article.
In the end, I think that Ethiopia can teach us less and learn more from us and perhaps most important lesson is how they manage to make their interest and those of western power align and how they have stayed relevant in the horn of all places
Oga Capt. Did u say “the harriers were less equipped…than the Argie Mirages” sure about that? If I remember my history a little, the mirage were in pretty bad shape and lacked even RWR and their shafrir (and magic 1 and sidewinder aim 9 b/c were not all aspect and had only a 20• Field of fire from the rear unlike the RAF/RN US supplied aim9L which could be fired head on)
The Daggers had no radar (being a Mirage 5 in all intent and purpose), no in-flight refueling, improper bomb fuses, no spares thanks to French embargo
The skyhawks were even worse flying with faulty ejector sit . The Super Etendards were in mint condition but were too few with even fewer exocet ashm.
The greatest weakness that did the Argies in was the lack of range of all their platforms and the too few refueling platforms (2) in their procession and how the planned for and managed this problem. This forced the Argies to fly a predictable path which was discovered by the Brits and the ambushes that followed was only natural. Viffing played a very insignificant role in over 90% of all Argie aircraft shot down
From all the reports I’ve read, the Brit have respect and admiration for the Argie pilots (airforce and navy). These guys change warfare
Experts are in consensus that had the Argies simply extended the runway @ Stanley to operate the Daggers and S Etendard, the war would most likely have had a different end. As I see it, training wasn’t the biggest issue, rather strategy, tactics and platforms did them in! Lesson, prepare big time b4 u go down town, war is a complicated business
MnI01, spot on! Sub building is tough business. However, I think some of the example like say Argentina had more to do with the economy than technical capability, while others had more politics (and corruption) to blame…I think India.
However, S korea is reaping already and seem bent on capturing the S E Asian market (watch this market thanks to China).
Also but for the balkanization of Yugoslavia, that country would have put most of this western arm exporting countries out of business.
As for me, as long as we have not been able to fix our basic surface fleet requirement, I would rather go with half a dozen 400t mini sub than a full size SSK and I wouldn’t mind getting them druggies to come help me build them.
Its note worthy that all them top tier sub builders have been doing it for close to a century. Tradition my friend is had to break.
By the way, I like this croc. Nigeria partner Chile, both may like it but their western ogas will pull the plug too soon! In fact, we stand a better chance with the kims, Mullahs and emm…the druggies. Top marks on the team up with universities point