AW-109

Conflict Usage

Battle of Marawi

Side: Philippine government forcesRole: Close air support and armed reconnaissanceclose air supportreconnaissancestrike

Philippine Air Force AW-109 attack helicopters were used extensively during the five-month Battle of Marawi; later PAF maintenance reporting identified two Marawi-used aircraft by tail number.

Boko Haram Insurgency

Side: Nigerian government and allied forcesRole: Combat support and air mobilitylogisticsreconnaissance

Nigerian Air Force Agusta 109 LUH/A109 LUH helicopters were deployed to the northeast under Operation Lafiya Dole and listed among aircraft used in Boko Haram counter-insurgency operations, including support to Sambisa and Chibok-related missions.

AW-109 Videos

AW-109 Images

Related Weapon Systems

Aircraft & UAVsOV-10 BroncoTwin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraftThe OV-10 Bronco is a U.S.-designed twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft built for short-field counterinsurgency, forward air control, armed reconnaissance, and limited ground attack. Philippine Air Force Broncos remained useful in Marawi because they could deliver bombs in close support of troops fighting through dense urban terrain.

Aircraft & UAVsA-29 Super TucanoTurboprop light attack and armed reconnaissance aircraftThe A-29 Super Tucano is a Brazilian-designed turboprop light attack aircraft used by the Nigerian Air Force for counter-insurgency missions, combining armed reconnaissance, close air support, and precision air-to-ground strike capability against Boko Haram and ISWAP targets.

Aircraft & UAVsAlpha Jet attack aircraftTwin-engine advanced trainer and light attack aircraftThe Alpha Jet is a Franco-German twin-engine trainer and light attack aircraft built by Dassault-Breguet and Dornier. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigerian and Cameroonian Alpha Jets provided a fast fixed-wing strike option for air interdiction, close air support, and attacks on insurgent positions in Borno State and the Lake Chad basin.

Aircraft & UAVsArmed commercial quadcopter droneWeaponized commercial quadcopter UAVArmed commercial quadcopter drones are civilian four-rotor UAVs adapted by militants to carry improvised explosive payloads, while retaining their original value for surveillance, target observation, and propaganda recording. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, open-source reporting links ISWAP and Boko Haram-linked forces to armed quadcopter attacks against Nigerian military positions in Borno and Yobe, reflecting a shift from observation drones toward direct low-cost strike use.

Aircraft & UAVsCH-3A unmanned combat aerial vehicleFixed-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicleThe CH-3A is a Chinese fixed-wing armed UAV in the CASC Rainbow family, combining electro-optical reconnaissance with small precision munitions. Nigerian Air Force CH-3A aircraft are directly documented in the Boko Haram Insurgency as part of Operation Lafiya Dole, where they supported surveillance and strike missions against Boko Haram and ISWAP targets in the northeast.

Aircraft & UAVsF-7NI fighter aircraftSingle-engine fighter and light attack aircraftThe F-7NI is Nigeria's export variant of the Chinese Chengdu F-7/J-7, a MiG-21-derived single-engine fighter adapted for interceptor and light strike duties. Nigerian Air Force reporting and defense coverage document F-7NI aircraft in post-2015 air strikes against Boko Haram positions in Borno and the Sambisa Forest area.

Sources