The US Plan to Give Afghanistan a Fleet of Black Hawks Is Deeply Flawed
The Afghan Air Force desperately needs more helicopters, but the UH-60s could turn out to be more trouble than they're worth.
By Joseph TrevithickMay 18, 2017
The United States is moving ahead with a plan, known as the Afghan Aviation Transition Plan (AATP), to help replace the bulk of the Afghan Air Force’s helicopters with the UH-60 Black Hawk. Unfortunately, while Afghanistan’s military is in dire need of additional choppers, it’s not clear whether provide them with the American-made aircraft is a good choice.
In May 2017, both U.S. and Afghan officials confirmed to Military Times that the Pentagon was looking to provide as many as 159 Black Hawks to replace Afghanistan’s existing Russian-made Mi-17V1 and V5 Hip helicopters over the next four to six years. In November 2016, the Pentagon submitted a budget proposal that included a request for funds for the first 53 upgraded UH-60s for Afghanistan.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/10413/the-us-plan-to-give-afghanistan-a-fleet-of-black-hawks-is-deeply-flawed
