Recently, the Nigerian Navy welcomed three new Agusta Westland 109 Trekker helicopters into its fleet. These helicopters were acquired by the Ministry of Defence and officially transferred to the Navy on November 12, 2024, during a handover ceremony in Lagos.
According to the Director of Naval Information, Commodore A. Adams-Aliu, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, received the helicopters with other senior officers in attendance. Adams-Aliu expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Defence for facilitating the procurement and highlighted the helicopters’ capabilities.
The AW 109 helicopters come equipped with a VIP configuration, featuring luxurious amenities like full leather interiors and a noise attenuation system. They also have a unique landing skid design for improved loading capacity compared to wheeled helicopters. Additionally, the helicopters boast extended endurance of up to 3 hours and 40 minutes, making them suitable for long-range transport missions and various operations such as Air Recce, Search and Rescue, Air Insertion, and MEDEVAC.