Afghan Air Force to Get Six Black Hawk Helicopters Soon: MoD

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) to take six Black Hawk helicopters from the United Sates in the near future, aimed at reducing the force’s decades-long reliance on Russian equipment, the Defense Ministry said Saturday.

The Afghan Air force being trained and assisted by NATO advisers, it slowly gained strength, but remains too small to meet the needs of security forces struggling to combat a stubborn Taliban insurgency.

The Afghan Defense Ministry said the due American-made-aircrafts are part of the government’s four-year security plan which would be used against the militants’ positions in combat missions and in supplying government forces.

 “The United States will give a group of Black Hawk [helicopters] and we are ready to receive it, said the Spokesman of Defense Ministry, Maj. Gen. Dawlat Waziri. “These choppers will be handed over based on the four-year security plan,” he added.

Months ago, the U.S. announced to provide Afghan air forces with more than 150 refurbished UH-60A Black Hawks to replace its aging fleet of Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters.

The Defense Ministry also confirmed that the U.S. plans to hand over more of Black Hawks to Afghan military forces to help break “stalemate” with the Taliban.

 “Equipping the [Afghan] air forces would definitely change the route of the [ongoing] war. It could be very effective but six military corps should be supplied with these helicopters,” said an Afghan military commentator, Atiqullah Amarkhil.  

This comes as the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that six billion dollars will be spent on the Afghan Air Force within the next four years, following the U.S. new strategy for the country, announced last month.

By Bais Hayat and Shakib Mahmud