Black Hawks mark new phase against Taliban in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — With a justdelivered Black Hawk helicopter sitting on a runway behind him, Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, vowed Saturday that “a tidal wave of air power is on the horizon” in the war against Taliban insurgents, and that “this is the beginning of the end for the Taliban.”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani praised his nation’s air force pilots as “the real champions” of the 16-year conflict. Now that the country’s air force capacity will be tripled under a new Afghan-U.S. military effort, and Afghan special operations forces will be doubled, he declared, “terrorists will not triumph here.”

The elaborately staged ceremony at Kandahar Air Base marked the formal launch of an ambitious plan to modernize and expand the Afghan air force over the next five years. A variety of U.S. military aircraft including 159 UH-60 Black Hawks are being supplied by the United States, and a new cohort of Afghan combat pilots are being trained — or retrained after years of flying Soviet-era choppers — by American military and civilian advisers.

The event was also aimed at reinforcing public support for the ongoing U.S. and NATO military mission here following President Donald Trump’s announcement in August of a new, open-ended policy that would add several thousand U.S. troops, focus on ending the war rather than nation-building, and follow the plan designed by Ghani and Nicholson to enable Afghanistan to defend itself within the next five years.

“We are with you in this fight, and we will stay with you,” Nicholson said, calling the war against terrorism “the most important fight in the world.” Brig. Gen. Philip Stewart, commander of the U.S. air advisory mission, called the Black Hawks and other U.S. aircraft on display “a physical manifestation” of international commitment to the war.

But the deployment of the iconic helicopters will be gradual, with only six expected to be in full use by the end of next year. Meanwhile, the war rages and commanders across the country have said that increased air combat support is their greatest need.

Pilots need several years of training to fly the Black Hawks, a process that is just beginning, and for now repairs must be made by American contractors.

American air instructors at the event said they did not expect the transition to the new aircraft to be especially difficult. “I have been supremely impressed with the Afghan pilots,” said Lt. Col. Trent Alexander, a senior air trainer. “They are absolutely up for this challenge.”

The Black Hawks being supplied to Afghanistan are from excess U.S. Army stocks. The total average cost involved, one U.S. official said, is between $7 million and $8 million per aircraft.

The Afghan air force currently uses Soviet-made Mi-17 helicopters, which are larger and less agile, to evacuate troops, deliver supplies and provide air cover.

A number of Afghan pilots said they were looking forward to the change.

The Black Hawks “are more reliable and they fly easier,” said Capt. Mohammed Saquib, 32. “We have a young generation that is ready to learn these skills, but what we want is to see this conflict finish in our country.”