The Nigerian Navy has taken delivery of three Agusta Westland (AW109) Trekker Helicopters, marking a significant enhancement to its air capabilities.
The handover ceremony, held at Caverton Helicopters Limited’s hangar facilities in Ikeja, Lagos, on November 12, 2024, was attended by top naval and government officials.
Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff, received the helicopters alongside other senior officers.
During the ceremony, Vice Admiral Ogalla expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support to the Armed Forces and the Nigerian Navy.
He also thanked the Honourable Minister of Defence and the Honourable Minister of State for Defence for facilitating the acquisition.
However, the AW109 helicopters boast impressive features, including purpose-built VIP configurations, full leather interiors, and advanced noise attenuation systems.
Their landing skid design provides better loading capacity compared to wheeled helicopters, while auxiliary tanks enable extended endurance of up to 3 hours and 40 minutes, making them ideal for long-range transport flights.
These helicopters can also be retrofitted with specialized mission equipment.
Distinguished guests included Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence; Dr. Raji Isiaka Ogunshola, Director of Navy Affairs; Chief Remi Makanjuola, President of Caverton Group; and Group Captain Bello (rtd), Managing Director of Caverton.
He added that the delivery is expected to bolster the Nigerian Navy’s operational capabilities, particularly in areas such as, Air Reconnaissance; Enhanced surveillance and monitoring; Search and Rescue, Improved response times and effectiveness; also, Air Insertion, Augmented special operations capabilities, as well as MEDEVAC through Expedited medical evacuation services.