The chief of air staff, Sunday Aneke, has reaffirmed the Nigerian Air Force’s commitment to modernisation, self-reliance, and global partnerships during an official visit to the Czech Republic, according to a statement issued on Friday.

It said the visit, held from February 23 to 24, formed part of Mr Aneke’s drive to leverage international collaboration to strengthen training, sustainment and operational capability in line with current security realities.

During a meeting at Aero Vodochody Aerospace, Mr Aneke reaffirmed the enduring partnership with the company, particularly in the overhaul and upgrade of the L-39ZA Albatros aircraft supporting pilot training.

He commended the firm’s technical support and stressed the need for sustained collaboration in spares provision, technical expertise and training support.

“Our partnership is anchored not only on platforms but on building institutional capacity and technical competence that will endure,” he said.

Mr Aneke also highlighted the NAF’s structured transition from the legacy L-39ZA to the more advanced L-39 Skyfox trainer and light attack aircraft.

He highlighted the importance of aligning training systems with modern warfare dynamics while ensuring continuity in pilot development during the transition.

Mr Aneke also held high-level talks with the Czech Air Force, during which both sides explored expanded cooperation in training, simulator development, and logistics collaboration across rotary- and fixed-wing operations.

The Czech air force commander, Petr Čepelka, described the engagement as a meaningful step toward deepening military cooperation and advancing shared professional standards.

Additional meetings with defence export stakeholders exposed the NAF delegation to advanced aviation simulators, parachute training systems and unmanned aerial technologies.

Mr Aneke stressed that modern defence partnerships must extend beyond acquisition to include knowledge exchange and technology transfer.

“The future of air power lies in innovation, local capacity development and strategic cooperation. We are focused on partnerships that strengthen our ability to sustain, adapt and innovate,” he said.

The air chief noted that the visit supports his command philosophy of leveraging innovation, emerging technologies and international partnerships to drive sustainable capability development within the NAF.

He added that the service would continue purposeful defence diplomacy to position the Nigerian Air Force as a resilient, mission-focused and globally engaged institution.

(NAN)