The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) have deepened their strategic partnership to enhance operational readiness and boost indigenous defence capabilities.
NAF, in a statement on Thursday, said the collaboration was solidified during a recent meeting in Abuja between the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, and the PAF’s Director General of Weapons Development and Life Cycle Support, Major General MI Khattak.
Air Marshal Abubakar highlighted the partnership’s significance, stating it is a “strategic value” that moves beyond simple transactions.
For the NAF, he said it will lead to better operational readiness, reduced maintenance costs, and a stronger domestic capacity.
For Pakistan, he noted, the collaboration provides “new economic opportunities in Africa’s expanding defence market.”
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The partnership will focus on key areas, including research, precision-guided munitions, and weapons life-cycle support.
Additionally, it will include personnel training through advanced programs, academic exchanges, and industrial attachments at institutions like the Pakistan Ordnance Factories and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.
Major General Khattak praised the NAF’s professionalism, emphasised the deep value of the relationship, which he said is built on “trust, respect, and a shared vision for self-reliance in air power.”
He affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting the NAF in its goals while also learning from Nigeria’s growing influence in regional security.
This deepened cooperation is expected to create a model for mutual defence enhancement and collective security, in line with the NAF’s focus on developing “smarter air power, enhanced force protection, and safer communities.”
