KABUL -- The Afghan Air Force is scheduled to receive a second batch of US-made Black Hawk helicopters in January 2018, the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission said on its Facebook page Wednesday (December 20).
The first batch of four UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters arrived in October. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani formally accepted the first two helicopters at Kandahar Airfield, calling it a "special day" for the Afghan Air Force.
"The introduction of the Black Hawk -- with nearly 160 platforms due to arrive in the next few years -- is part of a massive modernisation of the Afghan Air Force," the statement said.
"This year alone, the AAF [Afghan Air Force] performed more than 15,000 sorties in several types of aircraft in support of army and commando operations across Afghanistan," it said.
Afghanistan plans to triple its air force by 2023 to bolster its proven and lethal role in the fight against terrorism, US Air Force Brig. Gen. Lance Bunch told reporters in Washington via teleconference from Kabul December 12.
