US approves sale of Nigerian Super Tucano aircraft

August 07, 2017: The US State Department has approved a $593 million foreign military sale to Nigeria, including 12 A-29 Super Tucano light-attack aircraft, in order to further the nation’s campaign against the militant group Boko Haram.

Nigeria has been seeking permission from the US government to buy A-29s since 2015; however, the Obama administration had put the sale on hold due to concerns about the country’s human rights record.

The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 3 August announced that the possible Foreign Military Sale had been approved and Congress had been notified on 2 August.

The prime contractor is the Sierra Nevada Corporation, headquartered in Centennial, Colorado. The company is building Super Tucanos for the Afghan Air Force and Lebanon at its US facility.

“These aircraft will support Nigerian military operations against terrorist organizations Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa, and Nigerian efforts to counter illicit trafficking in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea,” the DSCA said. “The Super Tucano is a sustainable platform for counterterrorism, counter-insurgency, border surveillance, and illicit trade interdiction operations.”

The DSCA went on to say in a notification that Nigeria is an important partner in the US national security goal to defeat ISIS, including its branches in Africa, and this sale is part of the US commitment to help Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin countries in that fight. “The proposed sale, and associated training and engagement, is one piece of broader US security cooperation to help professionalize, modernize, and build the capacity of Nigeria’s armed forces and strengthen the US security relationship with Africa's largest democracy.”