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The Pakistani army using Vietnam era AH-1F Cobra gunship helicopters spend more time on the ground then in the air, and if they cannot engage the Taliban and al-Qaida, it may cost additional American lives.
And the latest crash of a Pakistani Cobra AH-1F gunship near the town of Rahwali due to "technical problems" on Dec. 30, demonstrates the importance of their Cobra fleet to counterinsurgency efforts. If the Pakistan army can’t eliminate the Taliban and al-Qaida on their side of the Afghanistan border, more than normal numbers of American troops may be put in harm’s way.
Pakistan, not happy with the refurbished Cobra helicopters bought from the US back in 2007, has started to modify and rebuild them with spare parts provided by Turkey. The Cobra’s require more than expected amounts of maintenance to keep them in airworthy.
And US officials are not keen about this.
Reports state that US authorities aired their reservations to the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff to determine if Pakistan is violating its agreement when the US sold them the helicopters.
Prior to accepting help from Turkey, Pakistani officials made numerous requests to the U.S. for the spare parts needed to fix their fleet, but were repeatedly told no.
No one was killed or seriously hurt when the Cobra AH-1F Gunship hit the ground. Pakistan's military’s Inter Service Press Release (ISPR) stated the helicopter had made a forced landing after a “technical fault.”
The release also said that two crewmembers suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Central Military Hospital in nearby Gujranwala. Local police and Pakistani military personnel secured the crash site.
Pakistan received the Cobra helicopters as part of a $1 billion weapons package the US sold to four allies including France, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The main contractor, who refurbished the Cobra helicopters before the sale, was US Helicopter Manufacturing Co. in Ozark, Ala.
Washington and the US Department of Defense approved the sale of an unspecified number of refurbished AH-1F Cobra helicopters. The AH-1F was the last upgrade to the Cobra gunship as they were phased out of the US arsenal in 1999.
The Pentagon said the additional refurbishment performed on the Cobras would help Pakistan defeat al-Qaida and the Taliban fighters, who are allegedly using the tribal areas as bases to attack US troops in Afghanistan and conduct counterterrorism missions. However, if Pakistan cannot fly Cobra missions, more attacks on US troops is a likely result.
The aging fleet of Cobras is making it difficult for Pakistan to heavily deploy them in missions in the harsh, mountainous terrain along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Cobra helicopters play a significant role for the Pakistani military in SWAT and missions against the Taliban in tribal areas.
The number of Cobras in working order is unknown. Some sources cite approximately 40, but this number is optimistic, as Pakistan is currently cannibalizing other Cobras in their fleet to keep the others flying.
According to a report from The Associated Press, images of the crash show the helicopter "broken in at least two pieces behind the cockpit. The skids have collapsed, and the engine and tail separated."
The crash has put a spotlight on Pakistan's need to acquire newer helicopters and retire the ones that are beginning to fall apart. It makes no difference how many Pakistan has in service, it just can't afford to lose any more of them.
Political factors are also making replacing non-working Cobras difficult. The US offered to provide Pakistan with the newer AH-1Z gunship, but the only ones available are in use by the US Marines. And providing the Marines is a priority over Pakistan's needs.
Turkey came to Pakistan's rescue, and when the US refused to supply the needed parts, Turkey supplied them to help Pakistan keep their fleet in the air.
Turkey has also offered Pakistan three T-129's, not only at no cost to them, but help Pakistan set up local assembly. However, Pakistan would need to replace about 40 Cobras, and it is uncertain if it can afford it.
Pakistan had also requested aid for upgrades to its aging fleet of F-16 fighter jets. Pakistan has 46 that have reached their half-life. However, US lawmakers are lukewarm to Pakistan's request, saying that the helicopters are more effective than fighter jets as an insurgency tool.
Part of the hesitation by the Americans is that Pakistan has a history of not properly maintaining US-supplied equipment.
According to a June 2008 report released by the Government Accountability Office, its auditors documented that despite receiving $55 million in reimbursements to help maintain its fleet, Pakistan's army was not maintaining it, resulting in poor readiness rates for critical assets, which included the AH-1F Cobra and the MI-17 utility helicopters.
And while it appears from recent events that Pakistan may now be serious about maintaining its fleet of attack helicopters, whether it becomes more serious about using them against al-Qaida in tribal areas under their control has yet to be seen, said the GAO report.
Cobra crash serious blow to Pakistani army's fight against counterinsurgency
Original reporting by George McGinn, except for the use of The Associated Press' descriptions of the photos from the latest helicopter crash. They were not available to me at the time.
Sources used for this report also include: ISPR Press Release, GAO Reports (four of them), and US documents on the original sale of the Cobras in 2007.
View more reports by George McGinn.
And the latest crash of a Pakistani Cobra AH-1F gunship near the town of Rahwali due to "technical problems" on Dec. 30, demonstrates the importance of their Cobra fleet to counterinsurgency efforts. If the Pakistan army can’t eliminate the Taliban and al-Qaida on their side of the Afghanistan border, more than normal numbers of American troops may be put in harm’s way.
Pakistan, not happy with the refurbished Cobra helicopters bought from the US back in 2007, has started to modify and rebuild them with spare parts provided by Turkey. The Cobra’s require more than expected amounts of maintenance to keep them in airworthy.
And US officials are not keen about this.
Reports state that US authorities aired their reservations to the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff to determine if Pakistan is violating its agreement when the US sold them the helicopters.
Prior to accepting help from Turkey, Pakistani officials made numerous requests to the U.S. for the spare parts needed to fix their fleet, but were repeatedly told no.
No one was killed or seriously hurt when the Cobra AH-1F Gunship hit the ground. Pakistan's military’s Inter Service Press Release (ISPR) stated the helicopter had made a forced landing after a “technical fault.”
The release also said that two crewmembers suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Central Military Hospital in nearby Gujranwala. Local police and Pakistani military personnel secured the crash site.
Pakistan received the Cobra helicopters as part of a $1 billion weapons package the US sold to four allies including France, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The main contractor, who refurbished the Cobra helicopters before the sale, was US Helicopter Manufacturing Co. in Ozark, Ala.
Washington and the US Department of Defense approved the sale of an unspecified number of refurbished AH-1F Cobra helicopters. The AH-1F was the last upgrade to the Cobra gunship as they were phased out of the US arsenal in 1999.
The Pentagon said the additional refurbishment performed on the Cobras would help Pakistan defeat al-Qaida and the Taliban fighters, who are allegedly using the tribal areas as bases to attack US troops in Afghanistan and conduct counterterrorism missions. However, if Pakistan cannot fly Cobra missions, more attacks on US troops is a likely result.
The aging fleet of Cobras is making it difficult for Pakistan to heavily deploy them in missions in the harsh, mountainous terrain along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Cobra helicopters play a significant role for the Pakistani military in SWAT and missions against the Taliban in tribal areas.
The number of Cobras in working order is unknown. Some sources cite approximately 40, but this number is optimistic, as Pakistan is currently cannibalizing other Cobras in their fleet to keep the others flying.
According to a report from The Associated Press, images of the crash show the helicopter "broken in at least two pieces behind the cockpit. The skids have collapsed, and the engine and tail separated."
The crash has put a spotlight on Pakistan's need to acquire newer helicopters and retire the ones that are beginning to fall apart. It makes no difference how many Pakistan has in service, it just can't afford to lose any more of them.
Political factors are also making replacing non-working Cobras difficult. The US offered to provide Pakistan with the newer AH-1Z gunship, but the only ones available are in use by the US Marines. And providing the Marines is a priority over Pakistan's needs.
Turkey came to Pakistan's rescue, and when the US refused to supply the needed parts, Turkey supplied them to help Pakistan keep their fleet in the air.
Turkey has also offered Pakistan three T-129's, not only at no cost to them, but help Pakistan set up local assembly. However, Pakistan would need to replace about 40 Cobras, and it is uncertain if it can afford it.
Pakistan had also requested aid for upgrades to its aging fleet of F-16 fighter jets. Pakistan has 46 that have reached their half-life. However, US lawmakers are lukewarm to Pakistan's request, saying that the helicopters are more effective than fighter jets as an insurgency tool.
Part of the hesitation by the Americans is that Pakistan has a history of not properly maintaining US-supplied equipment.
According to a June 2008 report released by the Government Accountability Office, its auditors documented that despite receiving $55 million in reimbursements to help maintain its fleet, Pakistan's army was not maintaining it, resulting in poor readiness rates for critical assets, which included the AH-1F Cobra and the MI-17 utility helicopters.
And while it appears from recent events that Pakistan may now be serious about maintaining its fleet of attack helicopters, whether it becomes more serious about using them against al-Qaida in tribal areas under their control has yet to be seen, said the GAO report.
Cobra crash serious blow to Pakistani army's fight against counterinsurgency
Original reporting by George McGinn, except for the use of The Associated Press' descriptions of the photos from the latest helicopter crash. They were not available to me at the time.
Sources used for this report also include: ISPR Press Release, GAO Reports (four of them), and US documents on the original sale of the Cobras in 2007.
View more reports by George McGinn.
