France has donated two aircraft to Senegal to help train pilots at its Air Force School located in Thies, 70 km from Dakar, APA can report from a local media source.
“This ceremony is in perfect coherence with the national defence policy defined by the President of the Republic, Macky Sall, one of whose major axes is the provision of the army with high-performance, high-quality equipment to effectively respond to security challenges,” the Minister of the Armed Forces Sidiki Kaba told local newspaper L’Observateur.
Mr. Kaba received the two Tb30 Epsilon aircraft on Thursday.
Both aircraft are part of a programme to transfer military planes from France to the Senegalese Air Force School.
“The first transfer concerned 4 Tb30 Epsilon aircraft, which made it possible to train about 15 pilots between 2014 and 2019. The second concerned three aircraft, two of which have already arrived,” Kaba added.
Christophe Bigot, the French Ambassador to Senegal, said that “the air force schools are essential to participate in security, the fight against terrorism and the assurance of a nation’s sovereignty.”
Joseph Mamadou Diop, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, announced that they will be able to provide training for the majority of pilots as soon as possible as part of the air force’s ramp-up exercise.
MK/id/te/lb/as/APA