Inventory
- See full article: List of Afghan Air Force aircraft
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) deteriorated following the collapse of Najibullah's government in 1992, and it was nearly eliminated by US/Coalition air strikes during Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2001. The new NATO-assembled Afghan Air Force has been gradually increasing its aircraft inventory, personnel, and operational capabilities since at least 2007. The last addition of aircraft was made in December 2011, which included 12 trainers and 6 helicopters from the United States.
| Aircraft | Type | In service 2012 | Planned for service by 2016 | Versions | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport Aircraft | ||||||
| Aeritalia G.222 | Tactical transport | 15 | 20 | C-27A | 20 purchased by the US from Italy, two of which are used for VIP purposes. Deliveries began in November 2009 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. 15 have been delivered as of May 2012. | |
| Pilatus PC-12 | Light transport/ Special operations / ISR | 0 | 18 | PC-12NG | Eighteen aircraft being purchased through Sierra Nevada Corp. for use with the Afghan Special Forces. | |
| Cessna 208 Caravan | Light transport/ Advanced fixed-wing trainer | 18 | 26 | C208B | 8 remaining to be delivered. Four were delivered on 20 October 2012. | |
| Trainer Aircraft | ||||||
| Embraer Super Tucano or Hawker Beechcraft AT-6B – | Advanced trainer/ Light attack | 0 | 20 | To enter service 2013/14 | ||
| Aero L-39 Albatros | Jet trainer | 3 | 3 | L-39C | May no longer be in service | |
| Cessna 182 | Elementary trainer | 6 | 6 | C182T | 6 delivered in September 2011. | |
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-24 | Attack helicopter | Unknown | Unknown | Currently unknown how many are in service or will be in service by 2016 | ||
| Mil Mi-35 | Attack helicopter | 9 | 0 | As of January 2011 the ANAF had 9 Mi-35. These will be phased out in the near future. | ||
| Mil Mi-17 | Medium-lift & gunship helicopter | 52 | 56 | Mi-17v5 | 10 more Mi-17v5 to be delivered to the AAF by the end of 2016. | |
| Mil Mi-8 | Medium-lift transport & gunship helicopter | Originally 65 were in use by the ANAF. | ||||
| MD Helicopters MD 500 | Light utility and helicopter trainer | 6 | 60 | MD 530F | 54 additional helicopters may be added to the inventory over a 4 year contract. | |
| Total | ||||||
Read more about this topic: Afghan Air Force