Nigeria will receive 12 Mi-35M helicopters from Russia by 2018 as part of their plan to modernize their defence forces. As reported by Sputnik, the contract for the delivery of the Mi-35Ms was signed in 2015. Anatoly Punchuk has reported that Nigeria was a promising partner to Russia in the military cooperation field.

The new Mi-35M helicopters hey received are well equipped with new avionic and navigation technology, is able to fly high altitudes such as mountainous terrain and can work in extreme temperatures. Not only is it a multipurpose attack helicopter, but it can be used for search and rescue, medical and transportation purposes.