Afghan Air Force News and Discussion

[ejaz007]

U.S. to give Afghanistan 20 transport planes
Updated at: 0730 PST, Monday, November 16, 2009


KABUL: The U.S. military will give Afghanistan 20 refurbished transport planes over the next two years, U.S. and Afghan officials said on Sunday, doubling the size of its depleted air force.

Two of the C-27A medium-sized military transport aircraft, manufactured by Italy's Alenia Aeronautica, have already been delivered, Afghan Air Corps Chief of Staff General Abdul Wahab Wardak said.

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said the remainder of the twin-engine, turbo-prop planes would be delivered by 2011.

"With the delivery of the C-27s, the brave and skilled pilots of the air corps gain the ability to conduct many of the same airlift missions done by coalition forces in defence of their country," McChrystal said at a military ceremony in Kabul.

During the Soviet occupation of the 1980s and up until 1992, Afghanistan's air force boasted as many as 500 aircraft -- including 200 helicopters and 100 fighter jets -- and as many as 7,000 personnel.

Wardak said the air force quickly fell into disrepair when the Taliban came to power and much of the equipment that had not already fallen into the hands of warlords was destroyed when U.S.-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001.

"With the arrival of new aircraft our air force will have 40 aircraft including nine helicopters," Wardak said.

"By 2016, the Afghanistan Air Corps will have 150 aircraft and around 8,000 personnel," Wardak said.

Afghanistan's rugged, mountainous terrain means road access to much of the country is difficult, making transport by air more important.

The C-27 aircraft have short take-off and landing capability and can carry payloads of up to 10,700 kg (23,600 lb).

Originally designated as G.222 aircraft by their manufacturer, the U.S. military has since procured updated versions of the aircraft, designated C-27J Spartans.

Alenia is a unit of Italy's Finmeccanica.

U.S. to give Afghanistan 20 transport planes

 

[arihant]

I was quiet surprise from the title which includes afghan and air force. Until today, I never thought that Afghan could have air force.

 

[lockh33d]

I was quiet surprise from the title which includes afghan and air force. Until today, I never thought that Afghan could have air force.

Why, because it's so 3rd world? Well, so's India. So does that mean people should perceive the Indian Armed forces to be without an air force? I wish it were the case...

 

[Iggy]

Why, because it's so 3rd world? Well, so's India. So does that mean people should perceive the Indian Armed forces to be without an air force? I wish it were the case...

Why are you talking everything wrongly??or you just wanted to troll???

 

[lockh33d]

Why are you talking everything wrongly??or you just wanted to troll???

What's wrong, it's the truth is it not? India and Afghan are both 3rd world nations are they not?

 

[Iggy]

What's wrong, it's the truth is it not? India and Afghan are both 3rd world nations are they not?

yes we are third world nation but what it has to do with the topic..why don't you post some toilet issues of our country if it makes you feel good ..

 

[courageneverdies]

Afghanistan - Air Force

The Military Balance, 1985/1986 (Pre-Taliban) estimated the number of air force personnel at 7,000 in 1985. This included members of the Air Defense Command. There were about 150 combat aircraft. All of these were obsolete or obsolescent, Soviet made varieties: four squadrons, totaling 50 MiG 17 jet fighters (Fresco C); three squadrons composed of 40 MiG 21 jet interceptors (Fishbed); two squadrons comprised of about 25 Su7B ground attack fighters (Fitter A); and a squadron composed of 12 Su 17 single seat attack aircraft (Fitter C). There were also three squadrons totaling about 20 I1 28 light bombers (Beagle). Transport aircraft included about 15 An 26 shorthaul transports (Curl). The air force had about 30 attack helicopters: Mi 24s, Mi 4s, and Mi 8s. There were also reconnaissance and training aircraft. The Air Defense Command was equipped with antiaircraft guns and surface to air missiles.

Reportedly, there were as many as 5,000 Czechoslovak and Cuban military advisers attached to the Afghan air force, as well as Soviet personnel. The quality of pilots and other staff, in terms of training and reliability, was low. This was one reason why they were denied access to advanced aircraft. In July 1985, however, Afghan pilots succeeded in flying two late model Mi 24D gunships to Pakistan. These had electronic equipment designed to adapt them for use in Afghanistan's mountainous terrain.

In the early 1990s Afghanistan's Air Force included 12 combat squadrons with a total of 126 aircraft [Russian-built Mig-21, Su-7, Su-20, Su-22, and Il-39]. Some An-12 transports were equipped with Soviet-designed bomb racks that could carry up to 38 250-kilogram bombs. The five aviation transport squadrons had about 60 planes [An-12, An-26, An-32, and Yak-40], and nine helicopter squadrons with about 100 Mi-8 and Mi-17 transport helicopters, and 14 Mi-24 combat helicopters.

By the mid-1990s the Air Force had collapsed as a professional military establishment, and remnaining aviation assets changed hands over the course of the civil war. Most of the surviving aircraft, amounting to about 40 combat aircraft and various transport planes and helicopters, were under Taliban control. About half the combat planes were Su-20 and Su-22 export versions of the Su-17 fighter-bomber, with the other half including Mig-21 interceptors and ground attack fighters. The Taliban also converted a few Il-39 trainer aircraft to bombers. The Military Balance, 2000/2001 estimated that the Taliban might have had about 20 MiG-21 and Su-22, and 5L-39, while the Northern Alliance might have had about 30 Su-17/22, 30 MiG-21 and 10 L-39. Most of the planes were elderly, and many were unsafe to fly. Improvisation and cannibalization provided a few combat aircraft (six or eight) for limited operations.

Combat aircraft were normally used to hit selected targets, independently of ground operations. The psychological impact of air attacks was greater than their limited military usefulness, and collateral damage was normally greater than damage to intended targets. The air control system was feeble and the technical possiblities of coordination with ground forces was limited. Communication between the Taliban radar stations and patroling combat aircraft was provided by commercially purchased radios. Taliban planes and helicopters were more effectively employed to transport troops and materiel, and providing communication, command, and control.

The renewed conflict between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance during the summer of 2000 was characterized by sporadic indiscriminate shelling and bombing. On 14 February 2000 indiscriminate bombing by the Taliban in the Panjshir valley killed eight civilians. In mid-June 2000, the Taliban began offensives in the Shomali and Kunduz areas, using aircraft to support ground troops. On 01 July 2000, the Taliban launched large-scale attacks near the towns of Baghram and Charikar, approximately 30 miles north of Kabul. Civilians continued to be the primary victims of the fighting. On July 1-2, the Taliban carried out air raids on the towns of Charikar and Jabal-as Saraf, reportedly claiming civilian lives. On July 23, Taliban aircraft bombed several towns and villages in northern Afghanistan, reportedly killing three and wounding seven civilians. On July 30, the Taliban used heavy artillery and aircraft to bomb the town of Nahreen before capturing it. From 09 August through 05 September 2000, when the Taliban captured it, there was intense fighting around and in the town of Taloqan. During the offensive to capture Taloqan, Taliban aircraft bombed the city many times. No statistics are available on civilian casualties in Taloqan, but 60,000 to 75,000 persons left their homes in Taloqan and other areas in the northern part of the country to flee the fighting.

Most aircraft still remaining by 2001 were destroyed by coalition forces in Operation Enduring Freedom. Currently, what is left of the Afghan air force is a few dozen pilots, most of whom had not flown since 1996, occupying a part of Bagram Air Base near Kabul. While the United States has said that it intended to rebuild the air force and various other states have made offers to donate equipment, no material aid had arrived by 2005. At that time essentially all air operations in Afghanistan were conducted by US and other allied aircraft.

The AAF was in a very poor state as of late 2004. They lack airworthy combat planes and possess only a few attack helicopters. Airlift capabilities are very modest, with maybe 10 utility and attack helicopters and a few light transport planes at their disposal. Maintenance technicians were being trained, but no pilots. The AAF relies on the vast pool of pilots who were trained during the communist period. More than 450 enlisted with the AAF, but the majority of this serviceman have logged very few flying hours since 1990.

Afghanistan requires an air force of a modest size. Few would dispute the need for a transport capability, but some fighting power is also required if the ANA is expected to operate independently of US air support. Therefore, at some point, surely before the year 2020, a political decision would have to be made to invest in the reconstitution of an Afghan Air Force (AAF) with a fighting capability. In the shorter term, the existing AAF, which suffers from ageing and antiquated equipment, requires immediate investment merely to establish an air lift capacity.

---

SOURCE: Afghanistan

KIT Over n Out

 

[emma bhatti]

Hi Guys
Afghan army has become strong in now a days, because US army is giving them training, and they are getting much professional. That is one reason that they are still able to defeat other black list sources.

 

[Pakistansdefender]

Hi Guys
Afghan army has become strong in now a days, because US army is giving them training, and they are getting much professional. That is one reason that they are still able to defeat other black list sources.

You must be really high on Afghanistan's only export .
Last time I checked taliban killed 100 or 150 in one go and 80 percent country is in taliban control and Ana is powerful.