{"id":58134,"date":"2018-03-26T18:35:09","date_gmt":"2018-03-26T18:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/03\/26\/afghans-soon-to-fly-missions-with-black-hawks-from-us\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:32:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:32:04","slug":"afghans-soon-to-fly-missions-with-black-hawks-from-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/26\/afghans-soon-to-fly-missions-with-black-hawks-from-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Afghans soon to fly missions with Black Hawks from US"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KANADAHAR, Afghanistan \u2014 The U.S. military has been flying UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter missions in Afghanistan for years, but the storied aircraft will soon take to the country\u2019s battlefields manned by pilots and crews from the Afghan military<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first group of Afghan trainees is in the final phase of instruction by U.S. advisers at an air base in southern Kandahar province, as part of the process of transitioning Afghanistan\u2019s military<\/a> from Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopters to the U.S.-made Black Hawks. They are scheduled to begin flying missions in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Mi-17 that the UH-60 is going to replace is not sustainable as a helicopter, so what we are doing, we are giving to the Afghan Air Force sustainable, very highly capable and battle-proven helicopters so that they can take the fight forward as they continue to safeguard this country,\u201d said U.S. Air Force Maj. Ted Rogers, director of operations for the 441st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron. He called the transition \u201chugely important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In this Sunday, March 18, 2018, photo, U.S. Air Force Maj. Ted Rogers, director of operations for the 441st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, speaks to The Associated Press at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan. (Rahmat Gul\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to the Afghan Air Force, it has 46 of the Russian Mi-17 multi-mission helicopters, of which 25 are active. The rest are unusable either because of scheduled overhauls or major repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transfer of the Black Hawks is part of broader plans for the expansion of the Afghan Air Force. The Afghan government and the international community, including the United States and NATO, have stepped up efforts to bolster its capacity and capabilities and the U.S. is spending $814 million on the seven-year effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\t