Publication in April 2018

This month, The Aviation Historian magazine published my story about the too short carreer of the Sepecat Jaguar within the Nigerian Air Force. In Air Forces Monthly, I started a new series of articles - in parallel of my regularly Flashpoints - investigating sub-Saharan Africa’s ‘small air forces’, defined as those with 30 or fewer airframes – and which don’t currently find themselves involved in combat operations. The first part concerns Benin, Ghana, Togo air forces.

My publications in January 2018

To get off to a good start this year 2018, two of my stories are published in January issues of "Defense et Securite Internationale" (No.133) and "The Aviation Historian" (No.22). The first analyzes the involvement of Nigerian and Chadian air forces in the fight against Boko Haram since 2011. The second tells the epic story of the Gabonese Presidential Guard squadron in which flew several former pilots of the French Air Force especially on the famous Douglas AD-4 Skyraider.

Nigeria and Allies Launch a Major Attack on Boko Haram

On Jan. 14, 2018, Boko Haram – an Islamist group from northeast Nigeria led by jihadist leader Abubakar Shekau – released a video depicting the remains of a Nigerian air force Mi-171 helicopter the group claimed it shot down.

The alleged shoot-down occurred amid an intensive new offensive targeting the group. On Jan. 8, Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon launched an operation aimed at two Boko Haram factions in the group’s Nigeria stronghold. The day the operation began, another Mi-17 crashed during a mission in northeast Nigeria.

Nigeria has battled Boko Haram since 2011. Cameroon, too, has fought the group for years. In mid-January 2015, the Chadian National Assembly approved Pres. Idris Déby’s request to deploy soldiers to support Cameroon.

Nigeria and Allies Launch a Major Attack on Boko Haram - Multiple aircraft losses reported amid intensive air support

My publication in March

This month, two of my short reports are published in March Issue of Air Force Monthly about the deployment of Nigerian Air Force in Gambia and a combat report about Iraqi Air Force and Iraqi Army Aviation in action in the battle of Mosul.