Nigerian Air Force
Nigeria's air Arm; flies Turkish and Chinese armed drones against insurgents in the north-east.
Turkish types dominate the Nigerian Air Force's expected-aircraft list of 25 October 2026: 12 Aksungur armed drones against two Chinese CH-4Ds. Nigeria has published no contract, price or delivery date.
Last refreshed: 26 October 2026
Nigeria's air force wants 12 Turkish drones but only two Chinese; why the swing?
Timeline for Nigerian Air Force
Listed 14 armed drones as expected aircraft
Drones: Industry & Defence: Nigeria lists 12 Aksungur armed dronesBackground
On 25 October 2026 the Nigerian Air Force published its additional expected aircraft, among them 12 Aksungurs from Turkey and two CH-4Ds from China. Nigeria gave no contract, price or delivery date for the drones.
The air force already flies both Turkish and Chinese armed drones, Military Africa reports. Its first armed drones were Chinese CH-3s, bought in the mid-2010s for the war against Boko Haram in the north-east. Sunday Kelvin Aneke became Chief of the Air Staff, the service's 23rd, on 30 October 2025, succeeding Hasan Abubakar.
On the October list Turkish drones outnumber Chinese ones six to one. If the orders are confirmed, Turkey would replace China as the main source of a fleet that began with Chinese types.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 26 October 2026. Editorial standards.