4th C-130 for AAF On Hold

The 4th C-130 scheduled to be deployed to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) is now on hold pending a review by the Department of Defense (DoD) of the AAF's medium-airlift requirement and its ability to fully use the existing C-130s before providing the additional capabilities. An investigation conducted by the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that the utilization rate of the first two C-130s delivered was at 48 percent of their flight-hour capacity. This prompted an evaluation of whether a third (and fourth) C-130 was needed. The potential savings to the U.S. taxpayer of not delivering the 4th C-130 is over $40 million. Read a letter from SIGAR to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on this topic (October 6, 2014).

AAF's Light Air Support (LAS) Aircraft

Daniel Goure, a military correspondent and Vice President of the Lexington Institute, has penned an article about the Afghan Air Force (AAF) and the acquisition of twenty Light Air Support (LAS) aircraft. He provides some background on the real need for air support for the Afghan ground forces and some of the problems associated with getting the personnel trained up and the aircraft off the factory floor. You can read his article entitled "The Afghan Air Force Rises from the Ashes", Real Clear Defense, October 7, 2014.

Afghan Air Force is Growing

The Afghan Air Force is growing but not to the extent that it can cover the gaps left by ISAF's air support going away. Its Mi-17s are still not able to perform the various types of air support in the amount needed by the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police - MEDEVACs, personnel movements, air resupply, and aerial ISR. The close air support aircraft is the Mi-35 HIND Attack Helicopter - of which there are eleven and only half of those can actually fly. The Mi-35s are old and will reach the end of their life by 2016. Most pilots don't fly at night (they lack the night vision and training required). Maintenance is still a concern - much of it is contracted to foreign mechanics. The fixed-wing transport part of the Afghan Air Force is negligible - with only three C-130s and a handful of the smaller C-208 Caravans. The fleet of C-27As never really got into the air and they are now being scrapped. Read more in "Mustering the air power for Afghanistan", Defense Update,  October 5, 2014.

Mi-17 Most Successful Helicopter?

A recent news blurb says that the Mi-17 may be the most successful helicopter of all time. The Russians have exported 3,500 of the export version of the Mi-17 helicopter to over 65 different countries. The Afghan Air Force will soon have 87 of the Mi-17s which conduct resupply, VIP transport, MEDEVACs, and personnel movements. Looks like the U.S. did something right in picking the Mi-17 for the Afghan Air Force! Read more in "Is The Mi-17 the Most Successful Helicopter of all Time?", DefenseWorld.net, October 3, 2014.

First Afghan A-29 Super Tucano Delivered to Moody AFB

The United States invaded Afghanistan the the fall of 2001 (13 years ago) and within months found itself in a counterinsurgency fight. It is a doctrinal truth that the best counterinsurgency forces are those from the host nation - the country where the insurgency is taking place. In this case - that is the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). One important aspect of countering an insurgency is having an aerial platform that can deliver effective close air support for troops in contact with insurgents. Currently the Afghan Air Force (AAF) has about six CAS aircraft. These six aircraft, of which at any given time only 2 to 3 can fly, are the aged Mi-35 HIND Attack Helicopter. It is estimated that the service life of these helicopters ends at the end of 2015. So after 13 years the Afghans still do not have an effective aerial COIN platform in sufficient numbers with which to provide close air support. Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?

The first close air support aircraft that the Afghans will be able to use is still a year or two away from being fielded. In September 2014 the first A-29 Super Tucano (1st of 20) was delivered to Moody Air Force Base in preparation for the Afghanistan pilot and maintenance training mission. The A-29 is a light air support aircraft that the Afghans desperately need now and could have used several years ago; long before the U.S. air support got withdrawn. Read more in "A-29 Super Tucano arrives at Moody AFB", U.S. Air Force news release, September 26, 2014.

Afghan MD 530F Aircraft Contract

Photo by TSgt Quinton Russ USAF

It looks like the Afghan Air Force will be getting a bit of an upgrade. A contract was recently awarded to MD Helicopters, Inc. for $44 million for work on seventeen MD 530F helicopters. The MD 530F is used primarily for helicopter pilot instruction at Shindand Air Field in western Afghanistan. However, it appears some weapons systems will be put on the aircraft as well. That makes sense since the Afghans have very little close air support capability. Their Mi-35s (all six of them of which 1-3 are usually down for maintenance) are reaching the end of their service life and the Super Tucanos won't be up and running until sometime in 2016.

Read the contract specifications for the MD 530F in the text below taken from www.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5388.

"MD Helicopters, Inc., Mesa, Arizona was awarded a not to exceed $44,200,000 firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales (Afghanistan) undefinitized contract action for the integration, testing, procurement, modification and installation of a weapon system onto the seventeen MD 530F aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona with an estimated completion date of Sept. 29, 2015. One bid was solicited with one received. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $21,658,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-C-0081)."

AAF Receives 3rd C-130

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) has received delivery of its third C-130 cargo aircraft. The AAF has had a troubled past - stories of drug running, poor maintenance, untrained personnel taint the gains the AAF have made in recent years. Many observers question why the Afghans are getting the C-130s. The Afghans could not get the smaller, less complicated, and easier to maintain C-27A's to fly (the C-27As are currently sitting on the ramp at Kabul Airport and are slowly being dismantled). Read more in "Gift Horses: Afghanistan's C-130 Fleet", Defense Industry Daily, September 28, 2014. View a ISAF HQ Public Affairs video (DVIDS) on the delivery of C-130s in October 2013 here.

How do Combat Aviation Advisors Train?

The current mission of the United States (and ISAF) in Afghanistan is Security Force Assistance; which primarily Train, Advise, and Assist (TAA). There are many types of advisors in Afghanistan to include members of the United States Air Force who are advising, training, and mentoring the Afghan Air Force (AAF). So what is it that ensures a good advisor is assigned to training the AAF? It starts with the proper selection of advisors. In addition, prior to deployment an advisor should receive some specialized training in instructional techniques, culture, force protection, counterinsurgency, and much more. For the air advisor to the AAF this probably occurs at the U.S. Air Force Air Advisors Academy located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

A preferred method is to have advisors already selected and assigned to units that have an advising and training mission. One such unit in the U.S. Air Force is the 919th Special Operations Wing located at Duke Field, Florida. The 919th provides Combat Aviation Advisors (CAA) as part of its Aviation Foreign Internal Defense (AvFID) mission. Read about one type of training event that CAA teams undergo to become proficient as air advisors in "Combat Aviation Advisors attend large-scale Army exercise", DVIDS, September 16, 2014.

More Mi-17 Helicopters Going to Afghans

A news report says that more Mi-17s are heading to the Afghan Air Force. Read "Afghan Army Service to receive More Mi-17 Helicopters this Year", Defense World, February 13, 2014.

Karzai Restricts Foreign Airstrikes

President Karzai will soon issue a decree forbidding Afghan National Army (ANA) forces from asking for air strikes or close air support from ISAF. This decree comes on the heels of an airstrike recently conducted in Shigal district, Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan where it is reported several civilians were killed. The restriction on use of foreign air strikes will limit the amount of support Afghan infantry will be provided during pitched battles with insurgents. The ANA will need to rely even more heavily on its newly developed and still learning Afghan artillery units. Read more in "Karzai to Forbid Afghan Forces From Requesting Foreign Airstrikes", The New York Times, February 16, 2013.

Afghan Air Force - 379th Rotary Wing Squadron Now Operational

The Afghan Air Force is finally getting there - sort of. Plagued with a late start, incompetence, corruption, poor leadership, drug smuggling scandals, barely literate airmen, use of aircraft to move opium and VIPs instead of wounded Soldiers and much needed supplies, failed aircraft maintenance programs - the Afghan Air Force has been the laughing stock of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). So it is good to see some good news once in a while that showcases the Afghan air capability. In this case it is the Afghan Air Force's 379th Rotary Wing Squadron. It is working on operations with the Afghan Army Commandos. Read more in "Afghan air force conducts air assault with Afghan special ops", USAF, March 7, 2013.

A-29 Super Tocano Chosen as Afghan's COIN Aircraft

Photo from Embraer Image Gallery

The Embraer A-29 Super Tucano has been chosen as Afghanistan's counterinsurgency aircraft. The U.S. Air Force announced the award to Embraer in a recent announcement (see Brazilian Firm to Provide Aircraft to Afghan Air Force, American Forces Press Service, February 27, 2013). The $437 million contract will provide twenty of the light air support aircraft, maintenance services, spare parts, and training. Deliveries will start in the summer of 2014. The aircraft will conduct advanced flight training, surveillance, close air support, and air interdiction missions. Read more details of the contract award in Super Tucano Wins Afghanistan Light Air Support Bid, DefenseNews, February 27, 2013. View an Embraer video of the A-29 on YouTube.com here www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgKt8GRDG4s

Thunder Lab - Pilot Training in Afghanistan Overcoming Illiteracy and Corruption

KABUL — After more than 30 years of war, the few qualified pilots in Afghanistan are largely graying veterans of the old Soviet-backed military who haven’t flown a MiG in decades. Now, the U.S. Air Force is playing catch-up, with programs to develop young Afghan pilots, as well as rank-and-file airmen, called soldiers by Afghans. Long before pilots can get in the cockpit, mechanics under the hood or enlisted soldiers to checkpoints, there are two basic problems to address: literacy and, in the case of the pilots, the ability to speak English, which is the international language of aviation.

Read the rest of the article in "Coalition troops hope to improve Afghan pilots' literacy and, eventually, aviation skills", Stars and Stripes, March 19, 2012.

Afghan Air Force Running Drugs in U.S. Bought Aircraft According to Allegations

U.S. authorities are looking into allegations that the Afghan Air Force is running drugs with their aircraft.  This would come as no surprise as Afghanistan provides 90% of the worlds opium and Afghanistan is cited by Transparency International as the second most corrupt nation in the world.  Read more in "U.S. probes allegations Afghan Air Force involved in drug running", Reuters, March 8, 2012.