Another clusterfuck in the making

[unhappycamper]

military.com reports:


Afghan AIU Gets a Boost
May 13, 2010
Air Force Print News|by PO2 David Quillen

KABUL, Afghanistan - Members of the Afghan Ministry of Interior's Air Interdiction Unit held a transition ceremony at an Afghan National Army Air Corps base in Kabul, Afghanistan, in support of the unit's notable accomplishments over the past 12 months.

A few of the distinguished accomplishments include the approval and implementation of the "1389" tashkiel, which will allow for significant growth of the Air Induction Unit; the recent issue of new equipment, vehicles, and uniforms from the government of England to AIU personnel; and the transition of English-owned Mi-17 airframes to the Afghans to aid in the continued development of the AIU.

"With our work with the forces from (England), we have learned a great deal. The training we have received has given us the opportunity to develop many skills we otherwise would not have had. This gives us (the AIU) the ability to provide new and stronger support to the police and the ministry," said Capt. Abdul Hamad Sahak, a pilot for the AIU.

As the Afghan Ministry of Interior's only aviation unit, the AIU has undergone considerable change over the past 12 months and is making significant steps forward in terms of both structure and operational capability.

Co-located at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, with the Afghan Air Corps, the AIU is a U.S. Army-mentored counternarcotics aviation unit which provides support to a variety of ground units with its fleet of 16 Mi-17 helicopters. In a similar fashion to the air corps members who regularly support the Afghan National Army, the AIU's "Afghan-only" Mi-17 crews are now regularly conducting training and operational missions in support of the MOI, the Afghan National Police and other counternarcotics forces around Afghanistan.



And the Air Force Times reports:


Even basics are hurdle for Kandahar Air Wing
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 13, 2010 10:58:25 EDT

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Getting the small stuff right counts when it comes to maintaining an air wing. Col. Bernard Mater says it time and again. He likes to use the example of building a firehouse. That seemingly mundane job, he tells his Afghan counterparts, is just as important as dropping bombs or flying sorties.

Mater and the 47 airmen he oversees as commander of the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group are mentors to the 18-month-old Kandahar Air Wing of the Afghan National Army Air Corps.

The corps itself is only 5 years old, but military aviation in Afghanistan dates back to the 1920s. At its height, in the 1980s, Afghanistan’s air force had more than 500 planes — made by the Soviets and flown by Soviet-trained pilots. A decade of civil war ravaged the fleet, and the Air Force bombed what little was left after 9/11.

With help from the U.S., Afghan soldiers started flying again in 2005. Today, those first pilots are mostly assigned to the Kabul wing, flying Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters and C-27, An-26 and An-32 transports. They’ve taken to conducting night missions, outfitted with night-vision goggles.

Even after more than a year, the 500 Afghan airmen in Kandahar still grapple with the basics — even personal hygiene. The dining hall workers still have to be told to wash their hands before they handle food. The pilots sometimes refuse to land their Mi-17s because they’re too tired, forcing their American advisers to take the controls.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. Sounds exactly like a certain

Air Force in a place called Saigon, a long time ago