NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan

On Dec. 3, 2009, the C-27 Spartan fixed wing aircraft flew its first mission over the Afghanistan. The mission was simple and straightforward: a 15-minute trip from Kabul to Bagram for maintenance. Nine months later, the C-27 program marks its 1,000th hour and its first functional Afghan flight crew.

“The 1,000 hour mark is somewhat anecdotal, but it coincided with us having the first Afghan crew ready for their final qualification before being capable to fly without U.S. Advisors. So we put the two events together so they would have a stronger impact in marking the achievements,” said Lt. Col. James Piel, commander, 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, lead C-27 advisor for NATO’s Combined Air Power Transition Force (CAPTF).

Unlike the C-27’s first mission, the mission marking the 1,000th hour was complicated. The mission delivered from Kabul, critical Afghan Air Force cargo in support of the Mi-17 mission in Kandahar. The return flight leg to Kabul transported nine wounded Afghan soldiers and  one Afghan soldier killed in combat.

At the conclusion of the mission, Brig Gen. Michal Boera, commanding general, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Combined Air Power Transition Force congratulated the Afghan crew and presented a certificate of achievement.

Boera also presented medals to the Afghan crew that participated in the first international mission to Pakistan last May. That mission was the transportation of the Afghan Speaker of the Wolesi Jirqa, Mohammad Younous Qanooni and other dignitaries to Pakistan for partnership talks.

Boera awarded deserving NATO advisors the Army Achievement medal and the Afghan crew the U.S. Air Force Achievement medal for  their excellent performance and said “It is an exciting time for the Afghan Air Force...it is good to do missions shonna by shonna [shoulder to shoulder] but it will be even better when you are able to complete the mission sets on your own.”

In the coming months, three to four more Afghan crew members will qualify to fly without NATO advisors, continuing the  development of the Afghan Air Force.

“They have been working so hard and it is very important when you reach a new milestone to document the achievement and give the Afghans something to stand on. Every time you can give the Afghans a piece of that milestone, you can see it on their face as it energizes them to work harder and strive to become a more professional force; every benchmark ads to their capabilities and their confidence,” said Piel

100830-N-6031Q-003 KABUL, Afghanistan -Brig. Gen. Michael Boera, Commanding General, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Combined Air Power Transition Force, presents a certificate of achievement to the crew of the C-27 Spartan fixed wing aircraft after logging 1000 Afghanistan fligh hours. Afghanistan. The certificates were presented at the Afghan Air Force base in Kabul on Aug. 29, 2010. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Quillen/ RELEASED).

                                                                                                                      By U.S. Air Force Capt Robert Leese
                                                                                                                       NTM-A

Afghan Air Force helicopter pilots and crews in Kandahar began learning how to plan, handle and execute Mi-17 helicopter live weapons fire by firing more than 100 air-to-ground rockets.

The ground and flight training was first given to NATO advisors in Kandahar by the Combined Air Power Transition Force serving shoulder-to-shoulder with the Afghan Air Force in Kabul.  The basic air-to-ground missile skills and tactics will be passed on to the Afghan Air Force (AAF)  Kandahar Air Wing (KAW) for future security and stability operations.

The NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan maintenance advisors were then able to train the Afghan Air Force Kandahar Air Wing's KAW’s armament personnel.

KAW’s maintainers demonstrated the ability to safely handle and load the rockets onto the Mi-17s with engines running. As KAW’s aviators skills and professionalism increase, they will use the rockets using the AAF development concept of: "For, With, By."

At this point, only NATO advisors are trained to fire the rockets; however, the KAW pilots appear motivated to catch up.

                                                                                          By Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class David Quillen
                                                                                                                        NTM-A

Lithuania joins the Czech Republic, Hungary and the United Kingdom as advisors to NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan and The Combined Air Power Transition Force (CAPTF) at the Afghan Air Force Base in Kabul. 

Lithuania will supply personnel for a two-year commitment beginning in 2011. The new Lithuanian team is set to arrive as early as January and begin their advisory role.

“This is a significant obligation and contribution by the Lithuanians because they only have one helicopter unit to pull from to support CAPTF,” said Capt. Thomas Filbert, U.S. Air Force, 440th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron.

A delegation from Lithuania arrived at the Afghan Air Force base in Kabul on Aug. 26th to gather information and gather critical information to help them succeed once they arrive. The Lithuanian team toured the maintenance complex, received a mission brief and an overview of the CAPTF mission. They conducted interviews to gain a mission perspective.

The Lithuanians will partner with a team from the Ukraine to bolster their own personnel and develop a complete, self-supporting advisor team with capabilities ranging from logistics to operations.

                                                                                                By U.S. Air Force Capt Robert Leese
                                                                                                NTM-A

The Afghan Air Force aircrew flew for the first time using Night Vision Goggles (NVGs) within Afghanistan and completed the first operational tasking at the end of the flight on Aug. 22, 2010

Afghan Airmen went to an austere unlit landing zone, with a blacked-out Mi-17 transport helicopter. The Afghan crew performed basic maneuvers to regain currency in NVG operations from take-offs, landings, tactical flight and in-air emergency procedures.

This is practice for the 24 hour, seven-day- a-week support required by to the Presidential Protective Service. This will allow the AAF's Presidential Airlift Squadron to use the cover of darkness to help conceal Presidential movements.

The initial cadre of the Afghan crews will consist of four pilots and two flight engineers. All the cadre underwent NVG initial training at Fort Bliss, Texas in 2007, but up until this point, there has not been a requirement for the AAF to use this capability within the Afghanistan.

Petty Officer Second Class David Quillen
NTM-A

The Mi-35 Hind E attack helicopter is the Afghan Air Force’s main gunship with Afghan aircrews trained by NATO forces from various countries including Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The adage: crawl, walk, run often describes military training and the Afghan Mi-35 crews are in the walking phase, building confidence to take control of the skies. U.S. Army Apache helicopter personnel from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) assist combat operations with Afghan aircrews as they develop Mi-35 capabilities.

Members of the Afghan Air Force and Combined Air Power Transition Force advisors assigned to Mazar-e-Sharif transported Jarullah Mansoori, Afghan Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development aboard the Mi-17 transport helicopter during a tow-day visit to several remote villages in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces on Aug. 6-7, 2010.

The AAF was tasked by the Ministry of Defense to provide transport the Minister within the region to meet with village elders and villagers and have an impact in developing the provinces. The Minister was picked up in Taloqan Village on the morning of Aug. 5, 2010 and attended meetings in Rustaq, Khor and Shar-e Bozorg, before returning toTaloqan. As they flew into the villages, more than half the villagers and about 40 children crowded around the helicopters to meet the minister.

“The terrain is unbelievably rough and very difficult to get any supplies into these places or any kind of help, so he was meeting with them to see what their highest priority needs were in terms of development and to see what was practical for the Afghan government to provide for them,” said Lt. Col. Curtis Wichers, 438th Air Expeditionary Adviosr Group, Detachment 3 Commander.

“I read reports about how some Afghans…don’t see any direct impact of the coalition forces, so for us to reach out to these places that were addressing and that in that situation and showing them that we do care as a nation and the Afghan government is doing everything they can to bring them aid and get them going on the right foot. It was very positive,” said Witchers.

Minister Mansoori said there was no way that the Afghan Government could get to this location without helicopter support from the AAF. He was very appreciative and told the villagers that he was thrilled with the support provide by the Afghan air crews and the CAPTF advisors. Without Afghan Air Power, they would not be able to get to these locations and the minister’s mission would have failed.

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan - Jarullah Mansoori, Afghan Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development travelled aboard a Mi-17 transport helicopter during a two-day visit to several remote villages in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces on Aug 5-6, 2010. (U.S. military photo/RELEASED).