Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) Air Marshal Elson Moyo has reportedly travelled to Nigeria to ask his counterpart for technical assistance, including in the operation and maintenance of F7 and Mi-35 aircraft.
According to a report by Defence Web, citing the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Moyo visited NAF Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, at NAF Headquarters in late March.
Moyo is reported to have said he would like to pursue technical assistance in the areas of research and development, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology (drones) and the operation and maintenance of F7 and Mi-35 aircraft.
He said areas for collaboration are of common interest to Zimbabwe and Nigeria as their respective air forces operate some similar aircraft (including F7s and Mi-35s).
Moyo noted that the Nigerian Air Force has within a short time recorded “remarkable feats” in its transformation effort to develop indigenous capacity.
He said the Air Force of Zimbabwe’s ability to acquire basic aircraft parts and other equipment was being hampered by sanctions imposed on the country by Western powers.
Zimbabwe’s Air Chief commended the NAF for its support in the past, including training given to the first batch of Zimbabwe pilots in the 1980s.
Amao said that the NAF is ready to forge a mutually beneficial partnership with the Air Force of Zimbabwe.
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