The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has concluded plans to begin the manufacture of helicopter in the country.

To actualize this objective, NASENI has decided to partner the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to provide relevant guides on the plan to produce made-in-Nigeria choppers.

In addition to this effort, NASENI has also placed an order for a Dynali H3 easy flyer sport ultra-light helicopter for the purpose of reverse engineering.

Executive Vice- Chairman/CEO of NASENI, Prof. Muhammed Sanni Haruna, spoke in Lagos yesterday during a courtesy visit to the NCAA headquarters where he was received by the Director General of the agency, Capt. Mukhtar Usman.

Haruna disclosed that in line with the agency’s mandate on aviation and aeronautics technology, the agency reached out to potential partners and manufacturers of helicopters.

He said the agency is considering working with the helicopter manufacturing company, Dynali Helicopters, which is willing to partner NASENI.

Haruna explained that Dynali Helicopter was selected because its technology is easier to copy, learn, domesticate and modify.

“They are willing to build the capacity of our staff for maintenance, repair, assembly and manufacturing of helicopters in Nigeria”, he said.

He assured that before the end of 2019, staff of the agency would have mastered the art of building the helicopters, adding that the agency had in the past produced unmanned aerial vehicle (drones).

He said, “Research and Development is not one or two – day affair but we have facilities for reverse engineering.

“In fact we have a centre which we call rapid prototyping centre. Any machine that you want to reproduce, we have facilities, advance manufacturing equipment for that matter on how to give us something fast but then aviation is a high safety and security industry that certain things, we must wait for certification from here (NCAA) before we proceed further.”

NCAA’s Director General, Captain Usman, assured that the regulatory body would partner with the agency to provide guidance in line with global standard and recommended practices in aviation.

“As you know aviation is highly regulated, it is international in nature and that is why the NASENI came today for us to partner and work to ensure that international standard and recommended practices are maintained because aviation is high precision industry, it involves safety and security,” he said.

•Sourced from a THISDAY report