NDF receives new cargo aircraft from China
The Namibian Air Force, the aerial branch of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF), has received two new Chinese cargo aircraft.
The planes were officially handed over by the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, president Nangolo Mbumba, on Friday.
During the ceremony at the airbase near Grootfontein, Mbumba appeared in full NDF combat uniform.
“Today, we are expanding the capacity of the air force with the commissioning of two brand new Y-9E medium transport aircraft, built in China by the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation, in accordance with NDF guidance,” Mbumba said.
“The acquisition of these medium-sized transport aircraft will go a long way in improving and increasing the operational capability and readiness of the NDF to respond at short notice to any situation that may require the use of our soldiers, both in peacetime and in wartime,” Mbumba said.
Through technology and skills transfers from Chinese defence companies, the military will learn, in the long-term, to operate and manage technologically advanced resources without the need for foreign mentors and trainers, said the head of state.
He noted that humanity lives in a world in which peace is not guaranteed.
“Therefore, as an independent nation, we must maintain and improve our ability to defend our territorial integrity.”
President Mbumba did not mention the cost of the new purchase, however, according to military online platforms, a Y-9E aircraft costs around US$55 million – about N982.7 million each.
According to online sources, China, alongside the Russian military, developed the Y-8 and Y-9E (also called Shaanxi Y-9E) aircraft from the An-12 Antonov to compete with the United States’ aircraft, Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.
The export variant, Y-9E, was presented in 2017, while the Y-9 is powered by four WoJiang WJ-6C turboprop engines. However, the WJ-6C engines in the export variant, Y-9E, were replaced by PW150B engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada. The Y-9E can fly at 560 km/h and carry 25 tonnes of cargo.
The planes were officially handed over by the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, president Nangolo Mbumba, on Friday.
During the ceremony at the airbase near Grootfontein, Mbumba appeared in full NDF combat uniform.
“Today, we are expanding the capacity of the air force with the commissioning of two brand new Y-9E medium transport aircraft, built in China by the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation, in accordance with NDF guidance,” Mbumba said.
“The acquisition of these medium-sized transport aircraft will go a long way in improving and increasing the operational capability and readiness of the NDF to respond at short notice to any situation that may require the use of our soldiers, both in peacetime and in wartime,” Mbumba said.
Through technology and skills transfers from Chinese defence companies, the military will learn, in the long-term, to operate and manage technologically advanced resources without the need for foreign mentors and trainers, said the head of state.
He noted that humanity lives in a world in which peace is not guaranteed.
“Therefore, as an independent nation, we must maintain and improve our ability to defend our territorial integrity.”
President Mbumba did not mention the cost of the new purchase, however, according to military online platforms, a Y-9E aircraft costs around US$55 million – about N982.7 million each.
According to online sources, China, alongside the Russian military, developed the Y-8 and Y-9E (also called Shaanxi Y-9E) aircraft from the An-12 Antonov to compete with the United States’ aircraft, Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.
The export variant, Y-9E, was presented in 2017, while the Y-9 is powered by four WoJiang WJ-6C turboprop engines. However, the WJ-6C engines in the export variant, Y-9E, were replaced by PW150B engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada. The Y-9E can fly at 560 km/h and carry 25 tonnes of cargo.
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