In June 2025, a senior Nigerian delegation led by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, visited the United States for a Program Management Review (PMR) on the acquisition of Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters. The trip marked another step in Nigeria’s push to modernise its rotary-wing strike capability.
By Jarryd Sinovich
The US government approved the sale of twelve AH-1Z Vipers to Nigeria in April 2022. Valued at nearly one billion US dollars, the package includes helicopters, twenty-eight T700-GE-401C engines, guided weapons, targeting and night vision systems, training, and logistics support. In December 2023 the deal was expanded to cover thirty-two H-1 mission computers.
Originally, deliveries were due by July 2028. However, worsening security conditions in Nigeria and the declining serviceability of its Mi-24 Hind fleet have prompted Abuja to request faster delivery.
During the June 2025 visit, the Nigerian team engaged with US officials and Bell Textron executives. They also visited Marine Aircraft Group 39 at Camp Pendleton, California, where they met Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367 and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 39. The delegation observed operations, maintenance, and sustainment practices, while US Marine Corps personnel highlighted the Viper’s close air support, anti-armour, and armed escort capabilities.
Air Marshal Abubakar underlined that the Viper acquisition is critical for strengthening Nigeria’s counter-terrorism and internal security efforts, particularly in operations against insurgent groups.
Nigeria’s Mi-24 fleet, first acquired in the late 1970s and supplemented with later purchases from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, has been central in counter-insurgency campaigns but suffers from declining availability due to maintenance challenges and parts shortages.
The Viper deal forms part of a broader modernisation drive. Nigeria has ordered six Turkish-built T129 Atak helicopters (with an option for six more), twenty-four Leonardo M-346FA light combat and training aircraft, and ten Leonardo AW109 Trekker helicopters. By the end of the decade the Air Force expects to add up to 100 new aircraft to its inventory.
The AH-1Z sale is managed under the US Marine Corps’ H-1 Light/Attack Helicopter Program Office (PMA-276). If deliveries are accelerated, Nigeria will join a small group of international Viper operators, significantly boosting its rotary-wing strike capability while deepening defence ties with the United States.
