The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has announced that the first Made-in-Nigeria helicopter is nearing completion and will soon take its maiden flight.
The Project Manager at NASENI’s Aeronautics and Air Vehicle Development Institute, Engr. Kareem Aduagba, disclosed this, stating that significant progress has been made on the indigenous helicopter, which will soon be officially recognized as the “Nigerian Chopper.”
“What we are doing now is not reinventing the wheel. We have one of our projects that started from the ground up, including the Made-in-Nigeria helicopter and some Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
Additionally, we have acquired some aircraft components from developed countries in Semi Knock Down (SKD) and Complete Knock Down (CKD) forms. Using scientific and engineering expertise, we are working on assembling and modifying them.
Very soon, we will conduct the first test flight of the Made-in-Nigeria helicopter as we approach the final stages of development,” he said.
