Dedicated Afghan Helicopter Wing Beginning To Take Shape
The beginnings of a robust and dedicated Afghan helicopter force
is beginning to take shape, thanks in part to the contribution of
British military experience and expertise. The Kandahar Air Wing of
the Afghanistan National Air Corps has made significant progress
since its arrival in October 2009.
Now with 572 personnel established on the wing, including
experienced pilots, trainee pilots, engineers, logistics and admin
staff, mission planning is becoming a reality. The Air Wing
currently operate four Mi-17 transport helicopters but are planning
to have 14 by 2011. Two Afghan Mi17s could recently be seen over
the English countryside as part of a project run by UK tri-Service
personnel from the Joint Helicopter Command to train Afghan pilots
to fly the Russian-built helicopters. A total of 26 pilots and one
ground crewman were trained over the course of the two year project
and have now returned to Afghanistan to fly the aircraft in their
homeland as part of a seed corn of an indigenous air force in the
country.
"I want to work for our people. I want stability in my country,
and I want peace in my country, because we are anti-terrorist,"
said a pilot known as Sayeed, speaking in the UK last month. "We
are against those people who are against our country. So if those
people are against us, so I am against them, this is for sure.
That's why I am training."
However, their training doesn't stop when they return to
Afghanistan. Major General Abdul Raziq Sherzai, Officer Commanding
of the Kandahar Air Wing, explained that Wednesday and Sundays are
official training days. The focus is on developing the combat ready
capability of experienced pilots, although no operational tasking
is ever turned down.
As in the UK, the skills of helicopter pilots and the
versatility of the machines is being put to good use in
humanitarian efforts. Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Amanullah said the
Air Corps assisted local people during a torrential flood last
month. "The river and wadi's had burst their banks and local people
were trapped in their compounds and some were in the water," he
said. "We landed our helicopters as close as possible, rescuing up
to 30 people."
While Kabul Air Wing is still the center of gravity for the Air
Corps with most fixed wing aircraft (including C-27's, An-32's and
An-26's) based there; there is a palpable excitement and buzz at
Kandahar. Colonel Bernard Mater, USAF, who is the senior air
advisor to the Kandahar Air Wing, said he is genuinely impressed
with the development of the whole team. "You can either teach,
coach, mentor or advise," he said, "but with the Afghan Air Corps
we advise where necessary. It would be wrong to impose other
nations' ways of doing business and to be honest the partnership
works as we learn from each other."