Afghanistan’s air force has inaugurated its first two UH-60A Black Hawk Helicopters as part of the military branch’s force modernization effort.
The U.S. Air Force said Tuesday Afghan President Ashraf Ghani led a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday at Kandahar Airfield to mark the addition of the Sikorsky-built helicopters to the AAF fleet.
The U.S. and Afghanistan picked the Black Hawk platform to help augment the latter country’s Mi-17 fleet as well as support air missions and interoperability with allied forces.
Gen. John Nicholson, U.S. military senior leader in Afghanistan and commander of Resolute Support, said Afghan airmen have completed more than 15,000 air sorties and 9,000 munition deliveries for counterinsurgency missions.
AAF Maj. Gen. Mohammad Shoaib and USAF Brig. Gen. Phillip Stewart signed certificates that represent the official transfer of Black Hawks from the U.S. to Afghanistan.
