Afghanistan gets more armed MD 530F helicopters

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) has received into service a further five MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD 530F Cayuse Warrior (‘Jengi’ [Warrior]) light attack platforms, the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing/Train, Advise, Assist Command – Air (TAAC-Air) announced in mid-July.

The helicopters arrived at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul aboard a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airlifter on 16 July, bringing the AAF’s total inventory up to 23.

This delivery came one month after a previous batch of five was handed over at the same location. The final four are set to be delivered to the AAF in the coming weeks, for a final inventory of 27 helicopters.

Deliveries of the MD 530F to the AAF began in 2011, at which time the service received six unarmed platforms for rotary-winged training. One of these was later lost to an improvised explosive device in 2013.

The first of 20 armed MD 530F to be fitted with the Mission Equipment Package (MEP) began arriving in March 2015. This MEP comprises the FN Herstal 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Gun Pod (HMP), upgraded communications equipment, fuel systems, and ballistic protection for the crew.

In July 2015 it was announced that all of the AAF’s helicopters would be fitted with the new Enhanced-MEP (EMEP), which saw the addition of a 70 mm rocket capability to the baseline MEP, including the fitting of a fixed forward-sighting system.

With a second MD 530F being lost in September 2015 (this time to an accident), it was revealed in January 2016 that a further 12 were to be acquired on top of those already ordered.

These new deliveries took place at the same time as already-delivered helicopters were returned to the US for retrofit with the EMEP, meaning that the delivery plan and handover rate to the AAF has not been linear.