  the nigerian air force (naf) is the air arm of the nigerian armed forces. it is one of the largest in africa, consisting of about 10,000 personneliiss military balance 2009, p.314 and aircraft including 15 chinese chengdu f-7s, and 24 dassault-dornier alpha jets, armed helicopters, and military transport aircraft. ==history== although the air force was originally proposed in 1958, many lawmakers preferred to rely on the united kingdom for air defence. but during peacekeeping operations in congo and tanganyika, the nigerian army had no air transport of its own, and so in 1962 the government began to recruit cadets for pilot training in various foreign countries, with the first ten being taught by the egyptian air force. the nigerian air force was formally established on 18 april 1964 with the passage of the air force act 1964 by the national assembly. the act stated that the 'nigerian air force shall be charged with the defence of the federal republic by air, and to give effect thereto, the personnel shall be trained in such duties as in the air as well as on the ground. " the naf was formed with techn
Military_units_and_formations_established_in_1964 Nigerian_Air_Force