Nigeria Approved to Buy 12 US-made AH-1Z Attack Helicopters

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Nigeria of AH-1Z Attack Helicopter and related equipment for an estimated cost of $997 million.

The case will include special training on the law of armed conflict and human rights, and air-to-ground integration to minimize civilian harm in air operations, a US DoD release said

The Government of Nigeria has requested to buy twelve AH-1Z Attack Helicopters; 28 T-700 GE 401C engines; and 2,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guidance sections.

Also included is Night Vision Cueing Display (NVCD); commercial variant GPS with Standard Positioning Service (SPS); communication equipment; electronic warfare systems; AN/AVS-9 Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System; M197 20mm machine gun and Target Sight System (TSS).

In addition, $25M of case funds will be allocated for institutional and technical assistance to the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) to continue Air Ground Integration (AGI) program, which includes developing targeting processes that are legally compliant with International Humanitarian Law and the Laws of Armed Conflict; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The total estimated program cost is $997 million.

The principal contractors will be Bell Helicopter, Textron, Fort Worth, TX; and General Electric Company, Lynn, MA. There are no known offset agreements in connection with this potential sale.