53 UH-60A+, 30 MD-530, 6 A-29 and 5 AC-208 proposed for Afghan Air Force

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Afghanistan needs a few more of those A-29s.
One of these with 8 hours uptime can protect a long road
between two cities or interdict insurgency all the way up the
mountains ( 10km ceiling ).

Just landing 15 of these 60A+ would require a couple nearby
for CAS for the 150+ troops especially considering the light,
quick and sweeping ground coverage habits of the local fighters.

Good day all, Tay.

Great but afghanistan doesn't have the infrastructure or trained folks to maintain these aircrafts... We saw how brand new Spartans were sold for scrap ... We saw US supplied Humvees with their parts stolen or just rotting thanks to both theft and corruption...

The main thing in my humble view is that afghans should first develop a real chain of command a solid professional military .. Stop desertion and fratricides and develop some infra to atleast maintain what equipment they already use...
I mean do they don't even seem to have standard gear .. Even the ammo of their Canadian and us supplied ARs/M-16s is supplied by NATO... The parts for the rifles ? Even down to combat boots!

Unless USA is willing to maintain their equipment these will be of no use..


Another thing I noticed is that NATO doesn't treat afghan soldiers on their bases and many of their injured soldiers are shifted to Pak where it's either our mil hospitals or govt hospitals where they receive their medical treatment..

 

[C130]

What a waste of taxpayer money :-( !!!

How on earth are the Afghans going to maintain a sophisticated platform like the UH-60??

Afghanistan has a lot of natural resources (not oil) but other things. if U.S companies can get a slice of that it would make sense.

as for the equipment

the UH-60A+ is a good bird and I hope we can offer a dozen or so kits to make them into Battlehawks if not they would be better off with brand new Mi-17s.

MD-530 is fine

instead of the A-29 I would go for the Textron Airland Scorpion

 

[pakistani342]

Great but afghanistan doesn't have the infrastructure or trained folks to maintain these aircrafts... We saw how brand new Spartans were sold for scrap ... We saw US supplied Humvees with their parts stolen or just rotting thanks to both theft and corruption...

The main thing in my humble view is that afghans should first develop a real chain of command a solid professional military .. Stop desertion and fratricides and develop some infra to atleast maintain what equipment they already use...
I mean do they don't even seem to have standard gear .. Even the ammo of their Canadian and us supplied ARs/M-16s is supplied by NATO... The parts for the rifles ? Even down to combat boots!

Unless USA is willing to maintain their equipment these will be of no use..


Another thing I noticed is that NATO doesn't treat afghan soldiers on their bases and many of their injured soldiers are shifted to Pak where it's either our mil hospitals or govt hospitals where they receive their medical treatment..

Basically this is what we call undue influence by our (US) Military Industrial Complex -- and a flawed influence system.

The US Taxpayers money is going to go fund Sikorsky to produce/re-furbish choppers that the Afghans do not need / cannot afford / cannot maintain.

To do that you get the Afghans in league with Sikorsky -- who know the right song and dance -- to make it look like we're spreading freedom in the world -- Sikorsky gets billions of dollars -- the Afghans get spiffy chopper that they can use to feel like their penises added an inch or two -- and I my tax dollars go down the drain.

Everybody happy but me :-/

Afghanistan has a lot of natural resources (not oil) but other things. if U.S companies can get a slice of that it would make sense.

as for the equipment

the UH-60A+ is a good bird and I hope we can offer a dozen or so kits to make them into Battlehawks if not they would be better off with brand new Mi-17s.

MD-530 is fine

instead of the A-29 I would go for the Textron Airland Scorpion

Aaa yes -- but I don't remember the Afghans selling US companies any mineral concession rights and then, get this, it's a novel idea: paying for these choppers.

As a matter of fact -- the concessions we were hoping to get in Iraq never happened: zilch. Oh and the two big mining contracts in Afghanistan went to India and China -- who have naturally done nothing with them, why should they -- are you going to put you money in Afghanistan: no, am I: no -- but our tax dollars -- hell why not -- I'm sure Ghani will play the lyre as they burn.

 

[Fenrir]

the UH-60A+ is a good bird and I hope we can offer a dozen or so kits to make them into Battlehawks if not they would be better off with brand new Mi-17s.

That's a SOAR bird though, so I doubt the US would supply it to even Afghan Special Forces. You can't paint angry eyes on a Blackhawk either and that's a major negative in my view.

As an armed assault helicopter the Mi-17 works wonders as a compliment to the unarmed UH-60 and larger Mi-24, Afghanistan just needs modern ones, like these Polish birds belonging to the 7th Special Forces Group.

On a smaller scale the PZL W-3 is a good option and can be armed with rocket pods and missiles and a chin-mounted cannon.

 

[Khanate]

I don't see US mentors leaving Afghanistan anytime soon, at least not this decade, the infrastructure is almost developed for the maintenance and a handful of maintenance staff has graduated from USA, UAE, UK and Turkey the rest are under training; AAF is moving forward steadily hopefully within 10 years you might see few squadron of fighter aircraft in AAF.

There will be annual military aid of $4.1 billion to Afghanistan for a decade.

 

[Taygibay]

Great but afghanistan doesn't have the infrastructure or trained folks to maintain these aircrafts... We saw how brand new Spartans were sold for scrap ... We saw US supplied Humvees with their parts stolen or just rotting thanks to both theft and corruption...

Maintenance has to be learned and systems replacements are sub-contracted, mate!
And the Afghans can learn, they have already; they're not sub-humans.

http://www.nspa.nato.int/en/news/news-150512.htm

As for theft and corruption, if you can't find 200 honest men,
that dooms the nation more than lack of military hardware.

Let's not demean the Afghans too much, it's both a sin and
a strategic error.

Have a great day, Tay.​

​

 

[pakistani342]

Maintenance has to be learned and systems replacements are sub-contracted, mate!
And the Afghans can learn, they have already; they're not sub-humans.

View attachment 356997​

http://www.nspa.nato.int/en/news/news-150512.htm

As for theft and corruption, if you can't find 200 honest men,
that dooms the nation more than lack of military hardware.

Let's not demean the Afghans too much, it's both a sin and
a strategic error.

Have a great day, Tay.​

​

yes, very true so can splitting the atom, landing on the moon -- but that is not the relevant question

 

[Indus Falcon]

Maintenance has to be learned and systems replacements are sub-contracted, mate!
And the Afghans can learn, they have already; they're not sub-humans.

View attachment 356997​

http://www.nspa.nato.int/en/news/news-150512.htm

As for theft and corruption, if you can't find 200 honest men,
that dooms the nation more than lack of military hardware.

Let's not demean the Afghans too much, it's both a sin and
a strategic error.

Have a great day, Tay.​

​

Tay, you are absolutely right, but so is @DESERT FIGHTER. The difference between you two, is one of theory and reality.

What you are advocating is an ideal solution, in an ideal world. What Desert fighter has mentioned is their track record.

 

[Taygibay]

I know my friend ( great to talk with you BTW ) but it is more the tone
that caught my attention.
By conforming our speech to answer people on fora*, we tend to go low,
fast and simple for the trolls and that can seep as tincture through a garment
and become permanent. The Afghans' track record is indeed spotty at best
but let's account, without going back to Alexander, for uninterrupted war since
1970 or almost 60 years of incurie étatique/governmental systemic neglect.

Besides, this angle is easily resolved by using some of the mil aid money for
a sub-contract to Sierra Nevada Corp or Embraer ( and/or Pratt&Whitney )
to service the planes for A-Stan.

And it still remains that underestimating an opponent especially routinely is
a very bad habit. For example, had not most peeps ignored Daesh from 1999
to 2013-14 ( 15 years ), that they may not have grown to the level they did?

Anyhow, you're right at large, let's move on!
All the best to you and yours, Tay.

* And DesertF answers them all or so it seems ...

 

[A-Team]

Interesting...


My question is, how will Afghanistan maintain all of this after the u.s leaves?

US leaves? US is here for a couple of decades and we will learn while they are here.
Afghans were maintaining similar soviet stuff a couple decades ago.

Anyways the new young afghans in their millions are going to school and universities, thousands abroad and they are as competitive as their peers. I was in one of the schools, which contained students from all over the world including students almost all of our neighboring countries, I topped the class ( case in point, we are as competitive as anyone, including better looks and physique

/Peace out.