The Afghan Air Force now has its own fixed-wing close air support capability. The US Air Force on Jan. 15 delivered the first four of 20 A-29 Super Tucano close air support aircraft to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Army Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, Operation Resolute Support spokesman, said during a Tuesday briefing that the aircraft are expected to go into service in April. The US Air Force’s 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga., is expected to train 30 Afghan A-29 pilots over the next three years, according to an Air Forces Central release. The first class of pilots and maintainers graduated in December. “This is a fighting aircraft which will destroy the centers of enemies in the country,” said Col. Bahadur, public affairs director of the Afghan Air Force, in a release. “This aircraft has the ability of transferring weapons like rockets and machine guns. This fighting aircraft will provide security and combat support.”
PHOTOS: 12 B-2s Conduct Massive Fly-Off, Elephant Walk
April 19, 2024
The Air Force carried out the largest B-2 Spirit fly-offs in recent history, when 12 aircraft—the majority of the nation's stealth bombers—took off one by one on April 15 from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. The event also created a massive elephant walk as the aircraft taxied to and took…