Afghanistan’s young air force joins battle against Taliban
LOGARPROVINCE,AFGHANISTAN: Clutching a radio in his hand on a barren hill surrounded by desert peaks, Sahil prepares to guide a pilot flying low overhead toward his training target – the third car in a convoy below.
Under pressure from the Taliban, Afghanistan’s military is increasingly relying on the country’s young air force, and is speeding up its training of pilots and ground controllers to strike the enemy
Once a strong flying power supported by the Soviet Union, Afghanistan’s air force was decimated by the civil war of the 1990s and the turbulent period of Taliban-rule.
By the time Western forces started rebuilding it in 2007, there were only a handful of MIG fighters left.
“There are currently 78 trained and available aircrews in the Afghan Air Force,” says Capt James Smith, spokesman for the US 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, which is responsible for training the Afghans.
But there is still a long way to go.
The AAF now has around 100 aircraft, including 27 MD-530 attack helicopters, and about 20 small support aircraft such as the Brazilian built A-29 Super Tucanos .
It also has around 50 Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters.
“With the three main bases in Kabul, Kandahar and Shindand, the bad guys know (AAF) can strike anywhere in the country,” says Smith.
“I’ve in an MD-530 when firing a rocket and believe me, it’s no joke ” he adds