The Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano pilots have flown more than 260 sorties since January when they received the first batch of the light attack aircraft from the United States, it has been reported.
“Since January, Afghan Air Force A-29 pilots have flown more than 260 sorties, supporting operational and training missions,” Resolute Support said in an e-mail statement to Military.com
The delivery of the first batch of Light Attack aircraft to the Afghan armed forces formally concluded in mid-January this year.
The Afghan Air Force officials have said they have so far received 9 A-29 Super Tucano fixed wing light attack aircraft from the United States as well as surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle which are expected to further boost the capabilities of the Afghan forces.
According to the Military.com, the statement by Resolute Support did not specify how many of the sorties were operational but Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, the chief spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said last week that the A-29s “are providing close air support.”
He also did not specify how many close air support missions had been flown or describe their effectiveness.
Meanwhile, the Afghan defense officials said last month that the Afghan Air Force carried out the most missions in mid-April by flying 83 missions over a period of 24 hours.
A spokesman for Ministry of Defense, Dawlat Waziri, said the newly added A-29 Super Tucanos playing a key role in providing close-air support to the Afghan Forces.
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.
