Afghan Airmen Learn How to Take Offensive

Photo By Ernesto Hernandez Fonte | An Mi-17 piloted by 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group mentors launches it's rockets during live fire exercise at a range near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The advisors are preparing to teach the Afghan Kandahar Air Wing pilots use of the rocket pod weapons system.  

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN

08.31.2010

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte 

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Afghan airmen of the Kandahar Air Wing are learning how to take the offensive from advisors assigned to the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group.

The KAW received its first variant of Mi-17 helicopter equipped with rocket pods this August. However, it will take the help of the 738th AEAG for the Afghan air wing to effectively use this new air-to-ground missile capability and even the advisors need training before they can teach Afghan pilots.

“There aren’t a lot of American pilots that have shot rockets off of Mi-17. So we need to get our training first,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. William Dorsey, 738th AEAG operations officer. “Developing this new capability will take time and we need to train our mentors first before we pass these lessons to the Afghan pilots. We need to practice our tactics, techniques and procedures in the air before we teach them to the Afghans.”

To test the new weapon system and train the trainers, the mentors conducted the first live fire Aug. 27 and Aug. 28. Additionally the KAW had its chance to test this new capability with ground crews, whom both the Afghan and American pilots depend on to keep the Mi-17's ship shape. The new Mi-17 was maintained, fueled and armed by Afghan Airmen.

“We are building our own trainer skill and creating the physical capability of shooting rockets,” said Dorsey. “The Afghans will have that capability, building capabilities is part of building an Air Force.”

The goal of the 738th AEAG is to mentor the KAW into a self-sustaining operational unit. Sustainable does not mean a U.S. or coalition way of doing business; the Afghans will do things their own way and as long as it is a working system the advisors will have met their mission.

“It’s the same way with everything,” said Dorsey. “Rockets: can they load the rockets on their own, maintain the rockets on their own, and maintain a supply chain on their own? All that is what we are working towards and we can’t go home until they get it done.”

The Afghan pilots will have to conquer hurdles too. Many of them aren’t formally trained and currently there isn’t a school for helicopter pilots in Afghanistan. Some are very skilled while others are still struggling.

It hasn’t been determined when Afghan pilots themselves will shoot the rockets. There are many areas where the pilots need to improve on before mentors will teach them to fly and shoot rockets.

The KAW will receive several more of the variant Mi-17's over the next couple of months. Additionally, the Afghan air wing will play a key role moving officials and materials in support of the upcoming provincial elections Sept. 18.

• Date Taken: 08.31.2010
• Date Posted: 08.31.2010 05:33
• Story ID: 55446
• Location: KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF