Armed Forces acquire two fighter aircraft(Centre spread) March 6, 2008

Story: Michael Donkor
THE Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have taken delivery of two new fighter aircraft from China to augment the fleet of the Air Force at a ceremony in Accra.
The two K-8 aircraft are single-engine, two seaters with tandem seating arrangement and will be used in the surveillance of the country’s maritime and land interests and the training of pilots of the Ghana Air Force and its technicians.
The aircraft is developed by the Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company, in collaboration with the Pakistan Aircraft Complex, and marketed by China Aero-Technology Corporation (CATIC).
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Defence, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, commended his predecessor, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, for initiating and concluding deals for the delivery of the aircraft.
“He worked hard to achieve this, and the many projects he initiated in the GAF while he was the minister will continue to constitute a very proud record of accomplishment to his eternal glory,” he said.
The minister said the move was in fulfilment of the government’s commitment to re-equip the GAF.
Mr Kan-Dapaah said the government would continue to provide the resources to enhance the operational capabilities of the GAF to an optimum level.
He said the government’s focus for the Air Force in the coming years would be on its fixed wing transport capability,
adding that providing all those resources in the face of the many diverse national economic demands was the result of well-thought out policies and plans to re-equip the forces so that they could continue to provide the nation with the needed protection and stability required for the national development agenda.
He said the delivery of the aircraft was timely to provide the needed fighter ground attack capability which the Ghana Air Force lacked when its Macchi fleet became obsolete.
Mr Kan-Dapaah said military expenditure should not be seen as wasted expenditure but rather as a most crucial investment to complement the improved macro-economic environment and economic infrastructure.
He appealed to the Air Force to handle the aircraft with care and ensure that they were maintained at all times.
The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Yu Wenzhe, expressed the hope that the gesture would enhance the relations between the two countries.
He said CATIC, as a major channel for the Chinese aviation industry to the international market, had delivered thousands of Chinese made aircraft to many countries and accumulated a rich experience to meet the needs of its clients.
He said China would soon send senior agricultural experts, a medical team and a youth volunteer to Ghana.
A representative of CATIC, Mr Wu Jiajia, said the aircraft were aerobatics jet trainers which allowed pilots to carry out various basic and advanced training missions.