Algeria donates Mi-24V SuperHind gunships and Mi-171 helicopters to Niger * Military Africa

Algeria donated four military helicopters and associated equipment to Niger on 9 August 2026. The transfer was a significant new step in bilateral defence cooperation. The Algerian Ministry of National Defence said two Mi-24V SuperHind gunships and two Mi-171 transport helicopters, along with ammunition, spare parts, maintenance equipment, and logistical support, departed the Algerian Army’s secondary deployment base at In Guezzam for Niamey that morning and arrived later that day.

Nigerien Air Force chief of staff Brigadier General Salifou Maïnassara received the donation, and a formal reception ceremony was held on 10 August. Algeria’s Defence Ministry said the transfer was carried out on President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s instructions as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral defence and security cooperation. Footage released by Algiers appeared to show the 4 helicopters, freshly repainted, taking off from the airbase at In Guezzam near the Niger border.

The two Mi-24Vs appear to be Algerian Super Hind Mk III aircraft modernized by South Africa’s Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE) in 1999 – 2001. The upgrade package replaced the original gun installation with a 20 mm cannon, added an electro-optical/infrared sighting system and other modern avionics, and integrated South African Ingwe anti-tank missiles with a range up to 5 km. The airframe still carries the classic Hind troop cabin, transporting up to 8 soldiers alongside its attack role, and can dash at speeds up to 335 km/h on its twin turboshaft engines. The two Mi-171s belong to the Mi-8/17 family.

The two Mi-171s are transport variants of the Mi-8/17 family built in Russia at the Ulan-Ude plant. In troop configuration, they can carry roughly 36 soldiers or, fitted out for medical evacuation, 12 stretcher cases with attendants. The type lifts to 4,000 kg internally or via external sling load and can be equipped with armour plating, flare and chaff dispensers, and hardpoints for rockets or gun pods in its assault variant, the Mi-171Sh. Algeria’s own Mi-171s entered service in the early to mid-2000s, so the airframes going to Niger are not new, though officials instead describe the donation in terms of defence, security, expertise and multifaceted support.

Algeria is understood to have acquired 34 Super Hind Mk III aircraft, and Azerbaijan ten Mk IV models. Upgrades include new engine filters, countermeasures, navigation system and other avionics. Algeria in 2016 received the first of 42 Mi-28NE attack helicopters from Russia and the donation of Mi-24s to Niger could indicate the older Hinds are being phased out.

Niger continues to face attacks by al-Qaeda-linked and Islamic State-linked armed groups, particularly in western Niger and the Tillabéri region. Niger’s Air Force was already flying a small fleet of Mi-171Sh assault helicopters bought under a $47 million contract signed between 2017 and 2019, so the Algerian gift reinforces an existing type. Niger already operates Mi-24 attack helicopters.

Relations between Algeria and the military governments of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso deteriorated in April 2025 after Algeria’s Air defences shot down a Malian military drone near the town of Tinzaouatène on its southern border. Algeria said the drone had violated its airspace; Mali disputed that account. All three Alliance of Sahel States (AES) governments recalled their ambassadors from Algiers in protest, and Algeria closed its airspace to Malian traffic in response.

The freeze began to dissolve in February 2026, when Niger’s transitional leader, President Abdourahamane Tiani, travelled to Algiers for a 2-day visit and was received by Tebboune. The two sides agreed to reactivate their high joint committee and revive stalled cooperation agreements. That committee met in Niamey the following month, in March 2026, when Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb and his Nigerien counterpart, Ali Lamine Zeine Mahaman, signed multiple bilateral agreements covering energy, health, infrastructure, trade, industry, agriculture, finance, transport, education, communications and other sectors.

Algeria’s rift with Mali took longer to heal. Bamako and Algiers only restored ambassadors and reopened their airspace on July 10, 2026, ending a 15-month rupture. By mid-August 2026, Algeria and Niger had already substantially restored and deepened bilateral relations, while Burkina Faso had not undergone an equivalent normalization. The helicopter donation marked a further strengthening and wider regional reconciliation of the already improving Algeria-Niger defence relationship.

Russia’s expanding security relationship with the AES states provides important regional context for Algeria’s renewed security engagement with Niger. Moscow has cultivated closer military ties with the AES states while maintaining important relationships with both Algeria and Mali. Russia remained Algeria’s largest supplier of major equipment. Moscow supplied 48% of Algeria’s arms imports between 2020 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, giving Algiers access to advanced systems including the Su-57E, which reportedly makes it the only African state known to acquire a fifth-generation fighter, although the aircraft’s delivery and operational status have not been fully documented publicly.

Niger will require trained personnel and continuing logistical and maintenance support to sustain the donated Mi-24V Super Hind helicopters. Algeria has said it intends to “continue supporting the states of the region” in defence and security. The donation demonstrates a significant expansion of Algerian military support to Niger, but whether it develops into a sustained Algerian security role will depend on subsequent military cooperation, training, maintenance support and further transfers.

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