U.S. helping get Nigeria’s C-130s back off the ground

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U.S. helping get Nigeria’s C-130s back off the ground
By Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, January 5, 2010

As the United States looks to build strategic partnerships with African countries, it’s investing a lot of hope in Nigeria.

Some of that expectation can be heard in the drone of a C-130 jet engine.

The U.S. Air Force recently helped restore one of Nigeria’s defunct C-130s to flying condition, which enabled the plane to be flown to a Lockheed Martin depot in Lisbon, Portugal, for a major, months-long overhaul.

It’s optimistically viewed as the first step in getting half of the Western African nation’s fleet of C-130s back in the sky, a feat that would enable Nigeria to haul peacekeepers or aid in regional humanitarian missions, Air Force planners say.

Nigeria is footing the $9 million bill for the maiden revamp.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=67018