25. januar 2008. | A/T
Ukoliko se ne pogoršaju okolnosti uAvganistanu, Avganistan bi do 2015. mogao da dobije sopstveno ratno vazduhoplovstvo. U početku, to će biti avganistanska jedinica pod komandom SAD. Na dan 5. januara Avganistan je raspolagao sa 4 transportna aviona (2 aviona An-26, 2 Antonova An-32 i 16 helikoptera - 10 helikoptera Mi-17 i 6 helikoptera Mi-35. Brojno stanje ljudstva iznosi 1950 ljudi, od kojih je 180 pilota čija je prosečna starost oko 43 godina.
Uglavnom, svi planovi vezani za razvoj avganistanskog RV, nabavke aviona, školovanje pilota su još uvek na dugom štapu jer je naglašeno da sve zavisi od razvoja trenutne situacije u Afganistanu....
Cela vestUnless the political winds shift dramatically, U.S. Air Force assets will be flying close-air support combat missions in Afghanistan until at least 2013.
That is the earliest point at which the Afghan National Army Air Corps will begin gaining that capability, the top U.S. Air Force trainer there said Jan. 24.
According to the eight-year plan of the U.S.-led Combined Air Power Transition Force, the nascent Afghan air corps will not begin flying “light attack” fixed-wing combat missions until 2013.
“And initially, that will ... be a U.S.-led squadron, as we train the Afghans how to do close-air support and how to integrate with the ground forces in the close-air support mission,” said Brig. Gen. Jay Lindell, who spoke with Pentagon reporters Jan. 24 via a satellite linkup.
The Afghan air corps is in the very earliest stages of redevelopment following decades of war. As of Jan. 5, the entire corps is composed of four fixed-wing transport aircraft — two Antonov 26s and two Antonov 32s, and 16 helicopters — 10 Mi-17s and six Mi-35s.
The corps numbers 1,950 personnel, but that number is deceptively thin. There are 180 pilots, but their average age is 43, some have not flown in 15 years and only 30 percent of them are flying at all. Spare parts and maintenance are a problem; most maintenance technicians are retired air corps personnel who are training younger wrench-turners on the job.
“We do not have a good capability today to maintain aircraft,” Lindell said. “We are short of parts.”
A 14-member U.S. team is in the process of assessing Afghan sustainment capability needs; Lindell said it will take two to three years until the Afghans have a self-sustaining system.
Currently, the corps flies about five fixed-wing missions a day, shuttling passengers and supplies, Lindell said. The rotary-wing crews are flying mostly training missions. The goal is to focus on building that sort of mobility capability over the next three years; trainers can then turn to developing capabilities such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and light attack.
Lindell hopes to see the force grow to about 7,400 personnel and a fleet of 112 aircraft by 2015.
About one-quarter of that fleet would be made up of light attack aircraft. The type of jet is yet to be determined. Lindell said planners envision a twin-pilot, single-engine turboprop jet that can deliver precision-guided ordnance and is network-centric, with the ability to connect to other aircraft and ground controllers via data links.
The long lead time for development of independent combat capability, Lindell said, is tied both to the acquisition of a light attack aircraft as well as the development of younger pilots.
“The reason is pilots,” Lindell said. “And what I mean by pilots is availability. ... Many of these pilots will [soon] be reaching a mandatory retirement age — it’s a military service law that we expect the Afghan government to have enacted this next year — and so it’s a matter of training capability for the new pilots to man these aircraft.”
Lindell hopes to eventually train 48 pilots annually. But that training won’t begin until fiscal 2009, and it will have to take place in the U.S. until an in-country training capability is developed.
Despite the enormous challenge ahead, Lindell said he is optimistic about the future.
“In a few short months, we’ve come a long way,” Lindell said. “We’ve nearly doubled the capability of the Afghan air corps since October, and in the next six months, we’ll plan to double it again. We plan to bring this air corps up to date with western technology and [the ability to] do business similar to how the best air force in the world does it, the U.S. Air Force.”
