Afghanistan Air Force - Updates and Discussions.

[Hindustani78]

http://www.khaama.com/afghan-air-force-to-receive-58-armed-black-hawk-helicopters-03826

The Afghan Air Force is expected to receive 58 armed UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters as part of the $1 billion deal to provide 159 helicopters to the Afghan forces until 2024, it has been reported. (Photo: Stars and Stripes)

According to Stars and Stripes military newspaper, as part of the Black Hawk deal, UH-60A models are being upgraded to a UH-60A+ variant with more powerful engines. Fifty-eight of the aircraft will be fitted with additional rocket pods and machine guns to provide close air support like the Mi-17s.

Army Maj. Alexmi Lugo, a program manager with NATO’s Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air unit, has told the paper that the training of the Afghan pilots for the helicopters is underway.

This comes as the Afghan government with the support of its international allies and NATO has stepped up efforts to boost the capabilities of Afghan national defense and security forces, particularly the Afghan Air Force.

The NATO defense ministerial also concluded in Brussels last week with the Resolute Support mission mainly consisting train, advise, and assist mission to the Afghan forces being a part of the meeting.

According to a statement by the alliance, the Ministers also agreed on the importance of funding for the Afghan security forces, and welcomed Afghanistan’s intention to make further progress on reforms and reconciliation.

The NATO Secretary General ahead of the meeting had said the alliance will also review progress and discuss what more need to be done to enhance Afghan combat capabilities as he insisted that the alliance will stand united with the conditions-based approach.

 

[Hindustani78]

The US forces based in Afghanistan in coordination with the Afghan security forces carried out more airstrikes on drugs production facilities in Helmand province, incurring a financial loss of up to $4 million.

“Carrier-based U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets conduct a strike on multiple narcotics production facilities in Helmand province on December 7, 2017, as part of an ongoing campaign by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and United States Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) to cut off the economic lifelines and degrade their ability to continue operations,” the US Forces Afghanistan said in a statement.

A video purportedly showing the bombing of one of the facility was also published online by the US forces.

This comes as the commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission and the US forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Nicholson said last month that the attacks on financial engine will continue as heavy losses have been inflicted on the group and its associated in recent raids.

“In just over three days’ worth of operations, the Afghan 215th Corps, their special forces commandos, their air force, in close cooperation with U.S. forces, removed between $7 million and $10 million of revenue from the pocketbook,” Gen. Nicholson said.

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.khaama.com/afghan-air-force-size-to-be-tripled-by-2023-says-us-general-04040

The size of the Afghan Air Force will be tripled by 2023 as efforts are underway to boost the capabilities of the Afghan Air Forces which have proven as effective and lethal in the fight against terrorism, a senior US General has said.

U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Lance Bunch, the direcotr of the future operations, told reporters on Tuesday that the Afghan forces conducted their combat operations through 2017 with the lowest level of support from the coalition forces in the 16-year war here, and yet has had some of the most success they’ve ever had, showing they are, in fact, leading the fight and we are there to advise and enable them.

He said “Key pieces that you’re seeing is that the Afghan Air Force itself, one of the more lethal organizations they have, and one that we’re looking to triple in size by 2023, is conducting significantly more air operations in direct support of the ANDSF on the battlefield, to the tune of 500 more sorties this year than they did the year before.”

“And so we are currently able to work with and enable the Afghan National Defense Forces as they conduct successful combat operations on the battlefield. We’re working with the Afghan Air Force to continue to build their capacity,” Gen. Bunch added.

According to Gen. Bunch, the first four UH-60 Black Hawks were delivered to the Afghan Air Force, and the first six pilots have already graduated from training.


“We expect to have eight full crews at the beginning of the fighting season in 2018. And those Black Hawk helicopters are just the first of up to 159 that we’re going to provide them,” he said.

 

[Incog_nito]

Seems that India is building helicopter transport and attack fleet of ANA!

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.khaama.com/ghani-says-s...onsidered-to-boost-the-afghan-air-power-04303

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has said special arrangements are being considered to boost the capabilities of the Afghan Air Force.

He made the remarks during his visit to a military base of the Afghan armed forces in Kabul where he said the government is working to further boost the fighting the capabilities of the Afghan Special Operations forces.

According to President Ghani, the government is also considering special arrangements to boost the capabilities of the Afghan Air Force and further steps will be taken in this regard in the near future.

This comes as efforts are underway to further bolster the fighting capabilities of the Afghan national defense and security forces.

U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Lance Bunch, the director of the future operations, had earlier said the Afghan Air Force is one of the more lethal organizations of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and that efforts are underway to triple the size of the Afghan Air Force by 2023.

According to Gen. Bunch, the first four UH-60 Black Hawks were delivered to the Afghan Air Force, and the first six pilots have already graduated from training.

“We expect to have eight full crews at the beginning of the fighting season in 2018. And those Black Hawk helicopters are just the first of up to 159 that we’re going to provide them,” he said.

 

[FuturePAF]

An interesting Video to better understand the true state of the Afghan Air force (at the end of 2019)

Some highlights but the video is worth the watch if anyone is interested in the actual state of the AAF

-3:20 speaker asserts China may try to take the FOBs in the panhandle
-6:30 Tajiks even posted in Uzbek areas "would be send home in days" (can't overcome the ethnic diffuclties)
-14:15 2015 MD-530 rockets and gun pods only
-14:30 2016 A-29, can carry up to approx. 1000 lb on the wings (such as two GBU-38 500 lb. GPS-guided bombs)
-15:20 2018 AC-208 (armed with hellfires actually APKWS and IR targetting pod; probably Flir Systems EO/IR/laser designator turret)
-17:30 Ethnic based Corps stagnent in their areas
-21:25 unreliable personnel sent to Shindand
-23:10 ORBAT
-33:10 How the AAF really works, and what the ANA did online
-35:50-37:05 How the AAF really really works (interesting assessment at 37:00)
-42:20-45:45 an OP the FC should look at
-46:45-49:30 another OP the FC should look at
-51:20 Limitations of the employment of Afghan Air Power and recommendations
-53:20-54:15 OFS
-1:12:00-1:15:00 Future of the AAF and accidents (with a realistic sobering assessment of the prospects of the AAF)

One key bonus point. you can tell someone cares to know some detail about Afghanistan when it refers to the people there as Afghans. those that don't really have in depth knowledge or care to know much call them Aghanis (which is the name of their money). just an interesting point that lets me know who is really interested in the country and who is just thinking of it as a notch in their career. (you see the correction in this video at 6:08)

 

[FuturePAF]

Afghan Air Force these days.

Afghan pilots assassinated by Taliban as U.S. withdraws

Afghan Air Force Major Dastagir Zamaray had grown so fearful of Taliban assassinations of off-duty forces in Kabul that he decided to sell his home to move to a safer pocket of Afghanistan's sprawling capital.

www.reuters.com

 

[ghazi52]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1430467274025099266