The US State Department has approved a foreign military sale (FMS) of AH-1Z Attack helicopter and associated equipment to Nigeria for an estimated cost of $997m.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress of this deal.
The Government of Nigeria had sought for purchase of twelve (12) AH-1Z Attack helicopters; 28 T-700 GE 401C engines; and 2,000 advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS) guidance sections.
The deal also includes night vision cueing display (NVCD); communication equipment; commercial variant GPS with standard positioning service (SPS); electronic warfare systems; M197 20mm machine gun; AN/AVS-9 Aviator’s night vision imaging system; target sight system (TSS); support equipment; spare engine containers; spare and repair parts; tools and test equipment.
The African nation had also sought for technical data and publications; personnel training and training equipment; mission planning system; technical, and logistics support services; US government and contractor assistance, and oversight of facilities construction.
This deal also includes allocation of $25m of case funds for institutional and technical assistance to the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) to continue air ground integration (AGI) programme.
According to the State Department, this proposed sale will not change the military balance in the Sub-Saharan African region.
The key contractors involved in this deal are Bell Helicopter of Textron, Fort Worth, Texas; and General Electric Company, Lynn, Massachusetts.
