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A US serviceman supervises the unloading of the first of 53 Black Hawk helicopters for the Afghan Air Force. Source: US Air Force
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) received on 18 September its first batch of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters.
The delivery, which was announced on the same day on the Facebook page of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing (EAW), saw two UH-60s arrive at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan aboard a US Air Force (USAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft.
The AAF is set to receive 53 Black Hawks as the United States transitions the country’s armed forces over from its approximately 80 Russian-built Mil Mi-17 'Hip' helicopters. These former US Army aircraft are undergoing a major refurbishment and upgrade effort prior to delivery to Afghanistan. No delivery timeline has been disclosed.
As noted by the 438th EAW Train, Advise, Assist, Command-Air (TAAC-Air), the Black Hawk procurement is part of a wider ramp-up of the AAF’s capabilities that will take place over the coming months. This plan involves seven different weapon systems, 14 programme offices, and more than 20 major contracts. In September, one of the first aspects of the plan was disclosed with the announcement that the AAF is to receive a further 30 MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light attack and reconnaissance helicopters to add to the 26 it already operates.
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http://www.janes.com/article/74186/afghans-receive-first-black-hawk-helos