The commander of the Afghan Air Force Major General Abdul Wahab Wardak said Thursday that the A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft will start combat operations with the Afghan Air Force from the month of March.
During a ceremony “Re-birth of the Afghan Air Force” at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Gen. Wardak said the Afghan Air Force is expecting to receive a total of 8 A-29 aircraft until March.
Gen. Wardak further added that the Afghan Air Force has so far received four of the eight aircraft from the United States and the remaining four will be handed over in the near future.
He said the aircraft are equipped with cannons, rockets and bombs and will be used to suppress the anti-government armed militant groups.
According to Gen. Wardak, the Afghan Air Force is currently operating in four brigades, including two brigades in Kabul, one in Herat and one in Kandahar province.
He said 14 MD-530 warrior helicopters are currently serving with the Afghan Air Force in 12 provinces of the country.
Gen. Wardak also added that 230 Afghan pilots, engineers and other technical staff are currently being trained abroad while 200 others are studying inside the country.
The A-29 is a multi-role, fixed-wing aircraft that will provide the Afghan air force with an indigenous air-to-ground capability and aerial reconnaissance capabilities to support the country’s counterinsurgency operations.
Eight Afghan Air Force pilots completed their training late last year and graduated from a program hosted by the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in United States and will return to Afghanistan for combat.
The Afghan army must use drones in battlefield especially Helmand to view enemy movements live….that will be huge advantage