U.S. DoD Inspector General: Afghan Air Force Making A Difference In The War

An Afghan A-29 pilot walks toward his aircraft on the flight line Sept. 10 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The Afghan Air Force now plans and conducts all A-29 combat missions throughout Afghanistan. (Staff Sgt. Alexander Riedel/ Air Force)

Military Times: DoD IG: Afghan attack pilots are helping turn the tide for troops on the ground

Less than two years after flying its first combat mission, the Afghan Air Force’s A-29 Super Tucano aircraft are playing a key role in supporting Afghan soldiers on the ground.

“When they show up overhead, the Afghan National Army have the confidence to continue attacking on ground,” the deputy commander for Train, Advise and Assist Command-South said in a new Defense Department Inspector General report.

Absent sufficient air coverage, Afghan security forces who had grown reliant on coalition air power suffered a series of defeats to the Taliban. Building a native air strike capability within the Afghan Air Force is the key to Afghan success in the future, Army Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February 2017.

Read more ....

WNU Editor:  In the end this is a war that the Afghans will need to fight and settle among themselves.

Meet Afghanistan's Top Guns (Video)

WNU Editor: Check out the video at this link .... Meet Afghanistan's Top Guns (BBC).

The Afghan Air Force Relies On Unguided Bombs

© Flickr/ US Air Force

Sputnik: As Afghanistan Ramps Up Airstrikes, Air Force Relies on Unguided Bomb

The Afghan military has increased its airstrikes against the Taliban over this year, but civilian casualties are an increasing concern, given that the air force relies on unguided, or "dumb," bombs.

Earlier this year, Afghanistan received four A-29 Super Tucano turboprop aircraft from the United States. Intended to boost the Afghan Air Force’s efforts against the Taliban, the new fighters have carried out over 260 air raids to date. Last month, airstrikes carried out in Kandahar province killed 15 militants.

With four additional A-29’s preparing to enter service, as well as a fleet of US-provided MD-530 helicopters, concerns are rising about the Afghan military’s reliance on "dumb" bombs that lack appropriate targeting technology.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Afghan air force has been busy .... A-29 Ground Attack Planes Tally More Than 260 Sorties in Afghanistan (Military.com).

Update: This is interesting .... Here's how the fledgling Afghan Air Force is training to take on Al Qaeda and the Taliban (Business Insider).

Baby Steps For The Afghan Air Force

In The Air Today: Afghan Air Force Developing Its Capabilities -- Washington Times

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — In southwestern Afghanistan, this reporter for The Washington Times recently hitched a ride on a helicopter manned by Afghans, including the pilot and two door gunners, as well as U.S. military personnel.

The 20-minute flight was aboard an Mi-17, a Russian-made aircraft that Afghans have learned to fly.

The U.S.-led coalition is helping Afghanistan recruit, train and deploy an air force, which is not expected to be fully capable until after 2017.

Read more ....

My Comment: They have a long way to go before becoming an effective fighting force.

All Of Afghanistan's Cargo Planes Are To be Scrapped

Afghan Air Force C-27A. Wikipedia

US Scraps Entire Fleet Of Afghan Cargo Planes -- Stars and Stripes

KABUL — The U.S. military is scrapping the Afghan air force’s entire fleet of Italian-made cargo planes, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

U.S. and Afghan officials told the paper that the Afghan military isn’t expected to have an independent and fully functioning air force until around 2017, well after the withdrawal of most U.S. and international troops.

On the west end of Kabul International Airport, twin-engine C-27As sit side by side, sunlight reflecting off their gray wings and the green, black, and red of the Afghan flag emblazoned on their tails. For more than a year, though, most of the planes had been little more than expensive aviation exhibitions, unable to fly due to lack of spare parts and maintenance.

Read more ....

My Comment: It makes one wonder who was responsible for awarding this contract in the first place .... and why.

U.S. Trainers Try To Get Afghan Air Force Off The Ground

U.S. troops are helping train and rebuild the once-decimated Afghan Air Force. FNC

From Stars And Stripes:

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Rocket-propelled grenades began whizzing by the rickety, Soviet-era M-17 chopper. Flying 50 feet above a canyon floor in Kandahar province, the Afghan pilot suddenly began to climb, lurching dangerously close to another Mi-17. Sitting in the co-pilot seat, U.S. Air Force Capt. Tyler Rennell abruptly seized control of the chopper and narrowly averted a mid-air collision.

Then the Afghan pilot started pouting, Rennell recalled.

"He gets so upset about me taking the controls that he takes his helmet off," Rennell said. "If you [quit mid-mission like this] in the U.S., you’re done."

Read more ....

My Comment: By the sound of it .... it appears that it is going to take decades before the Afghan Air Force can be a viable force .... and that is if the funding and support is constant in the next decade or two.

But in the interim .... everyone plugs along and tries their best.