Posted on 01/12/2012 12:36:15 PM PST by DefenseMatters
NATO Training Mission Afghanistan
Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Chris FaheyS
New airframe adds strike capability to Afghan air force
AFGHANISTAN - In Afghanistan’s continued effort to independently battle counterinsurgency, a new tool will be added to their arsenal designed to allow versatility, reconnaissance and precision weapons placement to the growing Afghan air force.
Announced Dec. 30, the U.S. Air Force has approved a contract worth more than $350 million that will provide the Afghan air force with at least 20 A-29 Super Tucano light air support aircraft, ground training devices and all associated maintenance and support equipment originally slated to arrive mid-to-late 2013.
According to NATO Air Training Command–Afghanistan Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. Tim Ray, the Tucano was “tailor made” for the Afghan’s counterinsurgency mission and provides a cost-effective, easy to sustain platform to help augment the Afghan air force’s already capable lift and training platforms.
“The LAS platform signals a milestone in moving beyond lift and rotary wing where we’re really not going after the enemy,” said Ray.
“The Tucano is the most kinetic, most offensive aircraft they’ll have, and I’m sure a big morale boost to the troops on the ground when they see it overhead. It’s the right kind of platform for the terrain, the fight and most importantly, it’s easy to sustain.”
Built for counterinsurgency missions, the light air support platform – specifically the Tucano – has been the heavy lifter in fighting anti-government elements around the world. More than 150 units across the globe have logged a collective 130,000 flight hours with more than 18,000 combat hours with no recorded losses.
Mirroring the same success in Afghanistan relies on two primary missions. The first is ensuring related costs of the light air support stay within the Afghan government’s current and projected budgets.
“The LAS operates at a fraction of the cost of other strike platforms,” said Ray. “The engine in the aircraft is incredibly reliable and very simple. We have the same engines in the Cesna 208s and it’s the most reliable in the aircraft industry that I’m aware of.”
The second is training pilots and pilot trainers capable of handling the aircraft in combat scenarios.
“The Afghans are good aviators,” said Ray. “When it comes to the basic stick and rudder skills and bravery, they are more than suitable, and we have two curriculums being refined to train the advisors and to train the students. We already have students flowing out of the different pilot training pipelines and learning the basics of flying fixed wing aircraft. The follow on of course would be a mission training program that would give them the skills to employ the LAS in combat.”
The light air support’s addition marks the final major complement to the Afghan air force’s inventory of more than 100 varied aircraft and sets the stage for future growth. Basic training for the light air support airframe will be conducted at the Shindand Air Base with follow on mission training held at a different location yet to be determined.
Activated in 2009, NTM-A is a coalition of 37 contributing nations charged with assisting the government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in generating a capable and sustainable Afghan National Security Force ready to take lead of their country’s security by 2014.
Tim Ray sounds like a liar or an idiot. Does he believe that the afghan air force will exist 4 weeks after we leave?
Last, we are giving the Taliban attack aircraft. Rather ironic if you remember 9/11.
Delivering them in 2013,,,, to the nation that just said it would side against the usa in any problem with Pakistan. And to the home of 9/11,,,, teaching them to fly,,,,,bright.
The Super Tuscano is a great aircraft, the best SOROS has ever built! Puppet Master Soros gets another payoff!
Hawker-Beech Sues to Block Embraer Air Force Contract | A Time ...thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/.../hawker-beech-sues-to-...Cached
You +1’d this publicly. Undo
6 days ago – Embraer Super Tucano ... What caught our eye in this deal initially is the fact Obama’s puppet master, George Soros, the self proclaimed “owner ...
And when we pull out of Afghanistan, those weapons will be used to restore the Taliban to power and to defend from future attempts by any nation to intervene in Afghanistan’s issues.
This deal has a stench much like nearly everything else about the “Obama Years”. Had the USAF and the GOA notified Hawker/Beechcraft of this according to normal channels and procedure, then there would be little grounds for suspicion. But when they are summarily excluded from even being considered when they have a comparable (or possible superior?) product at a comparable cost - in favor of a foreign company with ties directly to Obama’s puppetmaster.... how can anyone with ten 1/4 of a brain not be very much suspicious and even alarmed?
While I’m not in favor of this program at all for Afghanistan (as I posted above - this is just a free gift to the Taliban), still - awarding contracts in a completely jacked-up manner, costing jobs to AMERICAN workers... not good.
Wow. Pretty strong words about one of our warriers and a combat vet. May I ask if you've ever served? Have you perhaps served in combat as well?
I'm trying to gauge your credibility in these matters. There's a lot of bashing on fora like these. Perhaps you may be safely disregarded. You know, one of those inexperienced, always negative types.
Much, much better than the A-28 Mediocre Tucano.
What are the “direct ties” between Soros and Embraer?
Yeah,, i have, in places where CAS and arty mattered to me very personally, and it came from a Marine Air wing and Warthogs. I was given last rites once, or some such thing.
I’m not exactly sure, ‘cause i’m not Catholic. But we had a USN Catholic Chaplain priest with us, and i didn’t wanna discover baptist theology was wrong 15 minutes later.
I’ve been in places where political BS like the super Tucano program is recognized for the political PR stunt that it actually is. So i stand by my words. But this isn’t about me.
This is my judgement, yes, based on my experience that i don’t wear on my sleeve. Thats because ANY sane person can see the _obvious_facts.
Thinking Afghanistan will be stable in 2013, is a sad joke. Thinking they can keep an Air Force functioning for 4 weeks after we depart,,is a joke. They can’t even make safe drinking water or pave a road. They recently had a story that Humvees are too complicated for Afghans to maintain without us.
Also, by their own words, they are our enemy,,(vowing to support Pakistan against us.)
Next we are currently in negotiations meant to let the Taliban have a “voice” in Afghan politics. Translated,, that means the Taliban will BE the government with a year of us leaving.
So if Tim Ray says there will really be an Afghan Air Force, either he isn’t a very bright guy, OR he actually knows the truth and is deceiving us because procurement is awesome for Officers. (that case would be “liar”)
My prediction is that we will give them the planes, maintain them, fly in them with an Afghan “pilot” and a USAF guy as the “advisor/trainer”. (Can’t exactly have AFghans in armed machines with Americans in country,,, too much sudden Jihad)
Remember the Afghan pilot who opened up on a group of Americans less than a year ago at Kabul airbase,, murdering 9? Bet he would have LOVED a Super Tucano!
http://abcnews.go.com/International/afghan-pilot-disarmed-killed-americans-argument/story?id=13468438
As for you,, maybe you can be safely disregarded, you seem rather “inexperienced”.
Super Tucano program = USAF version of Solyndra.
Those machines will either rot into worthless junk in 2 years from no maintenence, be turned against us, or be destroyed some afternoon by us.
great plane... so why are WE paying for them???
Soros is a mulit-national scumbag who never does things in a straight line. “F”ing George Soros has a connection to Embraer through Harbin-Embraer Aircraft a Chinese-Brazilian joint venture, and Hainan Airlines, which Soros owns a significant stake in.
Not inexperienced. In fact, I may have been one of the Marine Air Wingers lending a hand, if Desert Storm was where you saw action. I’m glad you’re still with us. Sounds like you understand and appreciate CAS.
Here’s the deal as I see it. There are many missions that require lethality and dwell time, yet must be delivered at a cost effective rate per flt hr. ST operates at about one third the cost of a warthog. In a low intensity (South America) environment this aircraft has proven itself again and again in by dealing quite effectively with drug runners and guerilla groups. It is a dedicated and reliable killer. You might not take it seriously, but the bad guys do. Check with some of our own operatives who are in that fight. I think you might know some.
As to the Afghans, I must disagree. We cannot cut and run on these guys, nor can we stay forever. There are precedents to the risks you cite, in Vietnam Nam and in Iran. In no case that I know of were are enemies able to exploit what was left behind. In the case of Iran, that included front line fighters.
I won’t ‘safely disregard’ you. However, one of the more frustrating thing about these boards is the almost automatic negativity - snarkiness - we uniformly must endure. That and a lack of civility. Sometimes we have to ascertain the expertise of those making the noise.
If I offended, I regret it. Semper Fidelis.
He may own part of Harbin which buys Embraer jets but that’s as far as it goes.
Similar to those between Soros and Kevin Bacon.
By Hey let's blame everything on "Jew Soros"
Or Goldstein, or Snowball.
So have you converted or were you just hedging your bets?
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