Armée Afghane/Afghan National Army(ANA)

Le 30 septembre, le sous-lieutenant Nilofor Rhamani a réussi son premier vol en solo avec le Cessna 182 dans la base aérienne de Shindand. Elle est la première femme pilote qui arrive à ce stade de formation qui sont basés les critères de l'ANAAF.






( photos : USAF, Melissa k. Mekpongsatorn)

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Afghan National Army Special Operations Forces to get 18 modified PC-12s

Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nev., (FA8620-13-C-4007) is being awarded a $218,000,000 firm fixed price contract for 18 uniquely modified Pilatus PC-12/47E aircraft. The location of the performance is Sparks, Nev. Work is expected to be completed by July 31, 2015. The contracting activity is 645 AESG/WIJK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Contract involves foreign military sales to Afghan National Army Special Operations Forces.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas (FA8611-08-C-2897, P00153) is being awarded a $22,444,73 cost plus fixed fee contract for F-22 modifications and heavy maintenance sustainment, depot throughput and installations, signature analysis system reduction, contractor field teams, structural retrofit plan and modernization and common configuration. The location of the performance is Hill Air Force Base, Utah and Palmdale, Calif. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2013. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/WWUK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

www.defense.gov

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C-208B Caravan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/438pa/6...in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/438pa/6...in/photostream

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Hires




Afghan Air Force student pilot Lt. Mohammed Wares Alavi steps out of a MD-530 helicopter after completing
his first solo flight. / Photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Quinton Russ

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MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's state arms export corporation Rosoboronexport insisted on Monday it had not received any formal notification from the US regarding cancellation of a contract for delivery of Russian military helicopters to Afghanistan.

That follows a vote in the Senate last Thursday to ban Rosoboronexport from any further US government contracts, in response to Russia continuing to supply weapons to the Assad regime in Syria. The ban could come into force as soon as January 1, 2013, according to US media.

"All will be clear when the US President makes a decision. There is no decision yet - it's a recommendation. The contract remains in force as yet," a Rosoboronexport source said.

The Pentagon announced in June plans to buy ten more Mi-17 helicopters for the Afghan military from Rosoboronexport, in addition to an an earlier $367.5 million contract signed in May 2011 for delivery of 21 Mi-17V5s.

The total value of the deal including engineering services and spare parts could be around $900 million, US officials said then.

The US Defense Department acts as an intermediary in purchasing some military equipment for Afghanistan's military where it is paid for by US government aid, in order to prevent corruption.

Afghanistan prefers Russian-made helicopters to Western-designed machines as they are cheaper, and the country has a tradition of using them dating back to the 1980's. Recently, Afghan crew members have been trained to fly and maintain Mi-17s in the UK by British military instructors, the UK Defense Ministry said.

The US imposed sanctions on Rosoboronexport in 2008 in response to what it claimed were breaches of arms control regime agreements regarding Iran. Rosoboronexport and the Russian government have repeatedly denied any infringement of arms export controls regarding Iran or Syria.

President Barack Obama lifted the sanctions against Rosoboronexport in May 2010.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20121203/177886242.html

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An Afghan Air Force pilot receives on the job instruction from a U.S. Air Force pilot during a joint aerial mission at Forward Operating Base Fenty, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 19, 2012. Afghan National Army Air Corps pilots begin to take responsibility of aerial operations as the International Security Assistance Force drawdown nears. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Hallgarth / Released)




A U.S. airmen assigned to 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron coordinates with an Afghan counterpart before a joint aerial mission at Forward Operating Base Fenty, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 19, 2012. Afghan National Army Air Corps soldiers begin to take responsibility of aerial operations as the International Security Assistance Force drawdown nears. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Hallgarth / Released)




Afghan National Army Air Corps soldiers work together to prepare an Mi-17 Hip for future missions during aircraft maintenance at Forward Operating Base Fenty, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 19, 2012. Afghan National Army Air Corps soldiers prepare the aircraft to be utilized for a future joint mission. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Hallgarth / Released)




Afghan National Army Air Corps soldiers work together to prepare an Mi-17 Hip for future missions during aircraft maintenance at Forward Operating Base Fenty, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 19, 2012. Afghan National Army Air Corps soldiers prepare the aircraft to be utilized for a future joint mission. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Hallgarth / Released)




An Afghan National Army Air Corps soldier cleans the side of a Mi-17 Hip during aircraft maintenance at Forward Operating Base Fenty, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 19, 2012. Afghan National Army Air Corps soldiers prepare the aircraft to be utilized for a future joint mission. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Hallgarth / Released)




An Afghan National Army Air Corps soldier cleans the rear rotor of an Mi-17 Hip during aircraft maintenance at Forward Operating Base Fenty, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 19, 2012. Afghan National Army Air Corps soldiers prepare the aircraft to be utilized for a future joint mission. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Hallgarth / Released)




An Afghan Commando from 6th Special Operations Kandak fires his M-4 carbine rifle during tactical combat shooting drills at a training center in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Oct. 20. The training was designed to prepare the Kandak for the most complex Commando operation in the history of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




An Afghan Commando from 6th Special Operations Kandak fires his M-4 carbine rifle during tactical combat shooting drills at a training center in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Oct. 20. The training was designed to prepare the Kandak for the most complex Commando operation in the history of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




An Afghan Commando from 6th Special Operations Kandak evaluates his soldier during tactical combat shooting drills at a training center in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Oct. 20. The training was designed to prepare the Kandak for the most complex Commando operation in the history of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




Afghan Commandos from the 3rd Company, 6th Special Operations Kandak pull security from an observation point in the Chak district, Wardak province, Oct. 24. Approximately 500 partnered forces cleared more than 150 square miles over a three-day period. This was the most complex operation in the history of the Commandos. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




An Afghan Commando with the 3rd Company, 6th Special Operations Kandak watches for insurgent activity in the Chak district, Wardak province, Oct. 24. This was the most complex operation in the history of the Commandos. More than 500 partnered forces participated in the operation and were responsible for eliminating 47 insurgents. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




Afghan Commandos from 6th Special Operations Kandak prepare their equipment for tactical combat shooting drills at a training center in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Oct. 20. The training was designed to prepare the Kandak for the most complex Commando operation in the history of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




Afghan Commandos from 6th Special Operations Kandak conduct operational checks on their weapons prior to conducting the most complex Commando operation in the history of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




An Afghan Commando from 6th Special Operations Kandak conducts operational checks on his night vision device prior to conducting the most complex Commando operation in the history of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




An Afghan Commando from 6th Special Operations Kandak fires his M-4 carbine rifle during tactical combat shooting drills at a training center in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Oct. 20. The training was designed to prepare the Kandak for the most complex Commando operation in the history of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




The Commander for the 3rd Company, 6th Special Operations Kandak briefs his Commandos prior to a large clearing operation at a training facility in Afghanistan, Oct. 20. During the briefing the commander explained the operation and how the different elements would maneuver. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




An Afghan Commando with the 3rd Company, 6th Special Operations Kandak aims an M-4 carbine rifle at an insurgent during a clearing operation in Chak district, Wardak province, Oct. 23. This was the most complex operation in the history of the Commandos. More than 500 partnered forces participated in the operation and were responsible for eliminating 47 insurgents. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).




Afghan Commandos from 6th Special Operations Kandak fires their M-4 carbine rifles during tactical combat shooting drills at a training center in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Oct. 20. The training was designed to prepare the Kandak for the most complex Commando operation in the history of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cody A. Thompson/Released).

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Afghan AF, NATO Air Training Command Sign Joint Strategic Flightplan


(Source: U.S Air Force; issued December 9, 2012)



KABUL, Afghanistan --- Maj. Gen. Abdul Wahab Wardak, commander of the Afghan air force, and Brig. Gen. Steven Shepro, commander of NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan, signed the first-ever combined strategy into effect at a Nov. 28 ceremony at the NATC-A headquarters at the Kabul International Airport here.

All three Wings and key leaders witnessed the ceremony. The 54-page strategic flightplan guides both commands to execute a jointly developed decree of vision, goals and key tasks, with milestones focused on 2012-2013. The ceremony capped a three-month bottom-up planning effort across the groups, Afghan air wings, AAF headquarters, NATC-A and the 438 Air Expeditionary Wing staff.

"This is for everyone -- each function is specifically identified," said Wahab, among both AAF and NATC-A headquarters staffs, with the AAF wings joining by video teleconference. "This is also a plan with a timeline. By the end of 2013, we should accomplish these goals."

The strategy prioritizes efforts along key transitional and operational goals:
· A strong, professional Afghan Air Force that successfully leads its missions and personnel
· Effective AAF resource management and stewardship
· A culture of safe and effective aviation, maintenance and support
· Afghan planned, led, and coordinated operations that impact 2013 fighting season victories

"Our combined strategy initiative not only provides a clear roadmap out to 2013," explained Lt. Col. Kouji Gillis, NATC-A strategist, "the initiative provided the Afghan air force members insight to our strategy-development process, for their own future independent planning".

The document is the culmination of a bottom-up approach to organizational strategy, told Gillis. NATO mentors and Afghan leaders across each Afghan air force function, ranging from personnel to logistics, partnered to evaluate risks, assumptions, constraints, and develop the goals that feed into larger, over-arching guidance.

"We are doing many great things", explained Shepro. "It is important that we do the right things, and on the same sheet of music. This precedent provides joint direction, cohesion and motivation to build needed airpower capability to succeed in next year's fight, and to develop capacity of the Afghan air force's most important asset -- its airmen -- to sustain that success."

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/140882/afghan-af%2C-nato-sign-strategic-plan.html

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OPERATION Tufaan or Storm was a large scale Afghan planned and led operation to clear and secure an area of central Helmand, Afghanistan. It involved many hundreds of troops from the 3/215 Brigade of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and it was supported by The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS) who are based in Edinburgh as part of 4th Mechanized Brigade (The Black Rats).







Afghan National Army warriors during the planning group for Op Tufaan.
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012






Soldiers from the Afghan National Army's 3/215 Brigade boarding an RAF Chinook helicopter after a patrol on Op Tufaan.
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012






Soldiers from 3/215 Brigade Afghan National Army preparing to deploy on Op Tufaan in the Nad-e Ali area of Helmand province.
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012






Soldiers from 3/215 Brigade of the Afghan National Army (ANA) alongside a Warthog Armoured vehicle from the Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG) on Op Tufaan in Helmand Province.
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012






A soldier from the Royal Regiment of Scotland, part of the Brigade Advisory Group, follows a patrol of Afghan National Army soldiers during Op Tufaan.
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012






A patrol of Afghan National Army warriors along with a soldier from the 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland during Op Tuufan in Helmand Province
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012






A 1 SCOTS soldier looks on as an Afghan Warrior from 3/215 Brigade of the Afghan National Army pauses during a patrol on Op Tufaan.
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012






Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland pausing to allow a patrol of Afghan warriors to pass during Op Tufaan in Helmand Province.
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012






Soldiers from 1SCOTS patroling in support of the Afghan National Army during Op Tufaan.
Photo Cpl Jamie Peters RLC
MOD/Crown Copyright 2012

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By Agence France-Presse on Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
Far from home, poorly paid and discriminated against, Mushtaq and Sefadullah are among thousands of Afghans who are deserting the army in a worrying trend two years before NATO troops leave.

It is not that they have joined the Taliban. Like many, they simply got fed up with life in the army, fighting a war. So they went back to the eastern city of Jalalabad, where they both have blossomed in new jobs.

Mushtaq, which is a fake name, says he served in the relatively peaceful western province of Herat but was discriminated against for coming from the same ethnic group as the majority of the Taliban.

A Pashtun from Tora Bora — where Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden hid after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan — Mushtaq said his officers treated him like a Talib.

“Our commander was Tajik. All the Pashtuns were always blamed. So I left,” the 23-year-old told AFP. Today he works at an English language and information centre.

“At that time, I had a good salary — 11,000 Afghanis ($220). Now I get only 4,000 but I’m happy. I’m free and I learn English.”

General Olivier de Bavinchove, number three commander in the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), says around 50,000 soldiers, or around 26 percent, of the 190,000-strong Afghan army desert the force each year.

General Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry, says the desertion rate is significantly lower but still 10 to 15 percent. In the United States, the desertion rate is 0.3 percent.

“This is a normal percentage in a warring situation in Afghanistan. In other countries they are not in war so they don’t have a high rate,” Azimi told AFP.

“The desertion is seasonal. Some seasons and months are vacation seasons in which we have desertion, some months we don’t have any.”

Desertion is also a problem in the police, if at the lower level of around eight percent a year, according to ISAF.

Bavinchove says there is so far little evidence that the soldiers are deserting the army to join the Taliban, but believes the trend poses a major risk to a military and a state dependent on Western aid to stay afloat.

“For the moment, we haven’t seen these boys who leave the army early join the ranks of the insurgency…. It does happen and it can still occur, but it is altogether marginal,” said Bavinchove.

“On the other hand, this haemorrhage is a mortal risk for a country and an institution which will encounter considerable financial difficulties,” he added, saying that desertions cost $850 million of the $4.1 billion stumped up by the international community each year to finance the army.

Waheed Mujda, a political analyst and former member of the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, agrees that most of those who desert go back home to their villages.

Sefadullah, 24, says he was fed up with being far from his wife and three children, one of whom has since died. He is now a driver and says he has no regrets.

“So I ran away. I got my salary, and I went back to Jalalabad,” he said. “In my group we were supposed to be 75 people but only 13 were actually present…. They would only come to get their salary and then they would go back home.”

Neither of the former soldiers fears a court martial. “Lots of other soldiers deserted before me, the army doesn’t look for them,” says Mushtaq, who nevertheless refuses to give his real name.

The Afghan security forces, which did not exist until the Taliban fell in 2001, have been built up quickly and still lack professionalism.

According to a recent Pentagon report, Afghans have “begun to assume the lead for security” in areas home to roughly 76 percent of the population.

Between March and September, the United States decreased its military forces in Afghanistan by 25 percent. There are now about 68,000 US troops in the country.

Bavinchove says the Afghan army has to shake off a “culture of seasonal fighting”, which Azimi attributes mostly to soldiers leaving temporarily to visit their families during harvest.

He says that better rotation of units and loyalty bonuses could be introduced to help stem the flow of desertions before the army goes it alone in 2014.

Looking ahead, with presidential elections due in 2014 and the perennial fear of ethnic unrest, the general concedes that it would be a mistake to have too many trained fighters standing idle.

“There is a risk. If this country enters a new period of instability then this large number of idle fighters, still young and easily influenced, will take the opportunity to engage in chaos,” Bavinchove said.



Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/afghan-army-beset-by-desertions-as-nato-pullout-looms-46057/#ixzz2FUMPbbmx

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Artillery pieces falling into place for the Afghan National Army
By Huw Williams
12/24/2012
The Afghan National Army (ANA) has brought online the first heavy artillery pieces for its forces in Logar and Maidan Wardak provinces.

Two 122 mm D-30 howitzers have been installed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank in Logar Province, headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force's (ISAF's) US Army 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team-led Task Force Bayonet (TF 173), and the ANA's 203rd Thunder Corps' 4th Brigade.

The howitzers are crewed by soldiers of the 203rd Corps' 4th Artillery Kandak Brigade, with seven sections trained and cleared for operations so far.

Four D-30s are ready for service, four more are being refurbished, and two systems are due to be issued to the 4th Brigade.

At FOB Shank the howitzers will be working alongside the US Army's 155 mm M777s in providing a counter-indirect fire capability. In addition to the guns at FOB Shank, positions are being prepared at smaller bases, including at the US Army's Combat Outpost Dash-e-Towp in northern Maidan Wardak, where the D-30s will again be operating in support of M777s.

http://www.janes.com/products/janes/defence-security-report.aspx?ID=1065974693&channel=defence

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US Scraps Afghan Cargo Plane Fleet



KABUL — The U.S. military is scrapping the Afghan Air Force's entire fleet of Italian-made cargo planes, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

U.S. and Afghan officials told the paper that the Afghan military isn't expected to have an independent and fully functioning air force until around 2017, well after the withdrawal of most U.S. and international troops.

On the west end of Kabul International Airport, twin-engine C-27As sit side by side, sunlight reflecting off their gray wings and the green, black, and red of the Afghan flag emblazoned on their tails. For more than a year, though, most of the planes had been little more than expensive aviation exhibitions, unable to fly due to lack of spare parts and maintenance.

Now, despite spending nearly $600 million on the program, the U.S. is canceling the contract for the aircraft and disposing of all 16 planes delivered to the Afghan Air Force, the Journal reported.

Alenia Aermacchi North America, a unit of Italian defense conglomerate Finmeccanica SpA, failed to meet the requirements of their contract to maintain the fleet, according to an email from U.S. Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick, who was quoted in the Journal.

"This decision comes after failed attempts by the contractor to generate a sufficient number of fully mission-capable aircraft that would provide an effective airlift capability for the AAF," Gulick said in the email.

An Alenia representative was quoted in the Journal as saying the company had not received word of the decision and that the program had recently shown improvement.

"It's all a bit surprising that this decision is being made now when the [remediation] plan is being fully implemented," the representative said.

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The entire fleet of C-27As was grounded in December 2011 and even recently only four to six planes have been able to operate at any one time, Afghan Air Force spokesman Col. Mohammad Bahadur said in an interview with Stars and Stripes.

"The basic problem is that these airplanes were purchased without spare parts," Bahadur said. "For a small part, you need to wait for weeks or months."

For the Afghan military, still struggling to operate independently, the lack of cargo aircraft has been a blow to an already shaky logistics system. The Afghan security forces have leaned heavily on their fleet of Russian helicopters and Cessna 208 planes. But those aircraft struggle to keep up with demand, especially on longer routes, such as the roughly 300-mile haul between the capital and Kandahar, Afghanistan's second city and still a major center for fighting.

Shortages of fuel and parts are epidemic for Afghan troops, whose Humvees and pickups often lie dormant for days; many units complain of a shortage of ammunition.

The U.S. is set to deliver four C-130s, four-engine cargo planes that are the workhorses of the U.S. Air Force, to the Afghan Air Force in 2013, said Ministry of Defense spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said in an interview with Stars and Stripes.

"A military that doesn't have a plane is like a man without legs," Azimi said.

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An Afghan army captain coordinates with his soldiers to prepare them for the day's tasks during Operation New Hope in Kajaki, Afghanistan, Jan. 17, 20

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By Air Force News Agency on Monday, January 28th, 2013
The commanders of the Afghan air force and NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan signed two operational decrees Jan. 23, implementing procedures to improve air response to Afghan battlefield casualties by the AAF’s new Cessna C-208 Caravan fleet and its Mi-17 helicopters.

The decrees address the high-priority casualty evacuations and the dignified, culturally-appropriate transfer of fallen members of Afghan National Security Forces. The signings took place in the NATC-A headquarters at the Kabul, International Airport.

“These air support missions are critical to campaign success, augmenting ground CASEVAC resources when needed,” emphasized Brig. Gen. Steven Shepro, the NATC-A commander. “To improve the effectiveness of these missions, the AAF and NATC-A team have accelerated the delivery, configuration and initial operating capability of the C-208 fleet in a matter of months.”

The decree initiatives instruct aircrew and direct streamlined command, control and communication across security organizations. The AAF’s primary unit for managing flying missions is the Afghan Air Force Command and Control Center. According to the NATC-A Director of Operations, Col. Reginald Smith, the AAF has transferred 146 patients for continued medical care in the last three months of 2012. The primary AAF aircraft used for casualty movements have been Mi-17s, C-27A Spartans and Cessna 208B.

“The ACCC functions to task AAF units and aircraft to conduct troop movement, resupply and equipment logistics along with the movement of the injured and fallen,” said Smith. “The ACCC works in coordination with the Afghan Ministry of Defense to prioritize and task missions each day according to the position and availability of aircraft.”

Current C-208 seating configurations accommodate up to eight ambulatory patients, but modifications to transport four litter patients along with two additional ambulatory patients are in progress, according to NATC-A medical personnel.

“The AAF’s recent progress in these priority missions has been significant,” Shepro said. “Three months ago, the air CASEVAC process would have taken over 24 hours. Today, response times average under five hours from battlefield request to hospital arrival — and are increasingly Afghan-planned, coordinated and executed with minimal adviser input.”

Air response and capability continues to improve, Shepro said. Over the last three months, the AAF air supply to the six fielded Afghan Army Corps has comprised more than 570 missions, 370,000 pounds of cargo and 5,400 passengers.

“The Afghan coalition team has a clear strategy for 2013 mission success and growth of the AAF’s quantity and quality,” Shepro said. “These operational decrees provide joint cohesion, direction and motivation to improve air support to Afghan National Security Forces and enhance campaign success.”



Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/afghan-air-force-advances-battlefield-support-tactics-46525/#ixzz2JGdTYdtT

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US Air Force aims to transfer C-130 planes to Afghanistan

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday said it hoped to deliver two C-130 transport planes to Afghanistan by the end of 2013 and two more in 2014 after deciding to end a deal with Italy's Finmeccanica SpA for 20 G222 cargo planes.

Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick said details were still being worked out, but the Air Force was "aggressively pushing for delivery of two C-130H models in late calendar year 2013 and two additional ones before the end of calendar 2014."

"The Afghan Government has requested four C-130 aircraft as a replacement for the G222, and the U.S. Air Force is currently developing and accessing strategies to identify C-130 aircraft that could be made available for transfer to the (Afghan Air Force) at some point in the near future," he said.

Gulick said the Air Force was "committed to provide an effective and sustainable airlift capability for our Afghan partners as soon as possible." He said plans were also being assessed for training Afghan crews to fly and service the larger four-engine C-130 transport planes.

The U.S. decided in December not to renew a contract with Alenia Aermacchi, a unit of Finmeccanica, when it expires in March after years of problems with Alenia's work on the contract. The Air Force has already spent $590 million on the program, but will not exercise a $60 million option that would have extended the deal for an additional year.

The contract is part of the Pentagon's overall effort to equip the Afghan military as U.S.-led forces prepare to withdraw from the country after more than a decade of war.

It remains unclear what the Air Force will do with the 16 G222 aircraft that have been already been delivered to Afghanistan, or how Afghan forces will provide airlift for troops after the Alenia contract ends in March and before the first two C-130s arrive in Afghanistan later this year.

Alenia defends its work on the program, and says the twin-engine G222, an earlier model of Alenia's C-27J cargo plane, is one of the safest, most durable cargo planes available.

An Alenia spokesman said the company was in talks with U.S. lawmakers about the Air Force's decision to back away from the G222 deal, and what could be done to ensure that Afghan forces had continued airlift capability until the C-130s arrived.

He said the program was on budget and meeting or exceeding requirements at this point after an admittedly rocky start. "We're flying missions every day," said the spokesman.

"We're not disputing the Air Force's decision to bring in C-130s; that's their prerogative," said the spokesman. "We just want to see if there's a way to continue providing airlift until those other planes get there."

Gulick said it was not yet clear where the Air Force would get the used four C-130H aircraft for transfer to Afghanistan. The Air Force has 145 C-130 planes, while the National Guard has 191 and the Air Force reserve has 102. It was not immediately clear how many of those were H-models.

Lockheed Martin Corp, which builds the planes, is not producing the H-models anymore, having shifted to the newer J-model planes.

Gulick said the Alenia program had been plagued with problems, including issues keeping a sufficient number of planes ready for use.

The Stars and Stripes newspaper quoted a spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry earlier this month as saying that Washington now planned to deliver four C-130 transport planes to Afghanistan instead of the G222s, but the Air Force had not confirmed those plans until Wednesday.

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By Army News Service on Thursday, January 31st, 2013
Soldiers from Security Forces Assistance and Advisory Team – 5, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, assisted in the training of the Afghan National Army on the D-30 Howitzers at Combat Outpost Monti, Afghanistan, Jan. 18.

The Afghan National Army, or ANA, soldiers, who represent the 2nd Brigade, 201st Kandak Corps, worked to develop crew drills and increase their ability to coordinate artillery fire in a variety of scenarios and mission types, utilizing the Soviet made 122mm howitzer.

“We break our artillery into three groups,” said Capt. Robert Vadney, the fire support adviser for SFAAT-5 and a native of Corpus Christi, Texas. “There’s the gunline, fire direction center (FDC) and then the fire support side, which is observers, who are passing grids back to the FDC.”

The ANA soldiers trained in all three areas of artillery in order to ensure that they were able to work together, rather than just training on their individual areas.

“Most of the training we do, we train on all three avenues,” said Vadney. “Most of the training we have done has been for the artillery and for the FDC.”

“The gunline, they’ve got that drilled down pretty well,” continued Vadney. “Even the FDC is pretty solid, so our main focus is on fire support and getting them to integrate their indirect assets.”

The coordination between the howitzers, the FDC, and observers is a complex and continuous effort that ensures that the proper target is engaged with the appropriate type of ordinance at the most opportune time. The more complex the mission, the more complex the coordination becomes.

“A few days ago we had them doing coordinated illumination training, firing flares to illuminate a target area, then engaging that area with high explosive rounds,” said 1st Lt. Samuel Wilkins, a platoon leader with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT and native to Washington, D.C. “That’s the most complicated training we’ve been doing with them.”

At the end of the day, Wilkins said that he was pleased with the training event and impressed with the abilities and continued improvements the ANA have made.



Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/afghan-troops-train-on-d-30-howitzer-46601/#ixzz2JYAB1DuF

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Afghan Commandos from 3rd Company, 7th Special Operations Kandak practice moving and firing with weapons between stationary objects in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 31, 2013. Commandos use these techniques to improve familiarity with weapons systems, to maintain communication, and to be more agile and effective in combat.

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Afghanistan looks to future armoured vehicle fleet requirements post-2014
By Charles Forrester
2/12/2013
Afghanistan sits at a cross-road for armoured vehicle procurement, IHS Jane's was told at the Defence IQ International Armoured Vehicles conference on 6 February.

"We must be prepared to fight alone," said an Afghan National Army (ANA) source, indicating that a national armoured strategy may be needed to properly equip the ANA after the end of combat operations in 2014 by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

"We need the right mix of light infantry, mobile infantry, and armour," he added.

The ANA procured 440 M1117 medium armoured security vehicles from Textron Marine and Land Systems in 2011, with initial deliveries of 240 vehicles taking place last year and an option on another 200 for delivery by 2014. Variants covered in the order included armoured personnel carrier (APC), command and control, engineer, maintenance, mortar carrier, and reconnaissance models.

In 2005, 173 M113A2 APCs also entered service with the ANA, alongside 16 M577 command post vehicles, to equip a mechanised battalion.

However, support vehicles such as mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, APCs, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and main battle tanks (MBTs) are currently lacking from the ANA's fielded inventory.

http://www.janes.com/products/janes/defence-security-report.aspx?ID=1065976159&channel=defence&subChannel=land

Citation :

Navistar Defense Awarded $23 Million Order to Provide Armored Cabs to the Afghan National Security Forces


(Source: Navistar Defense, LLC; issued February 20, 2013)



LISLE, Ill. --- Navistar Defense, LLC, already a key supplier to the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP), has received an urgent delivery order from the U.S. Army (TACOM LCMC) to retrofit 205 armored cabs onto Navistar Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTV) currently designated for service with the Afghan National Security Forces.

The award, for $23 million, will involve replacing the current commercial cab with a specially designed armored cab— providing savings by re-using the original components of the MTV to protect the ANA and ANP from ballistic and blast threats in the theater of operations. The order also includes enhancing additional vehicle elements for improved survivability to provide Afghan National Security Forces with the capability to conduct route clearance missions with mine roller applications.

"This order reflects Navistar's strong partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense in providing high quality vehicles on very aggressive schedules in support of protecting the soldier on the ground," said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. "We are proud to continue to support the vehicle fleet that we have provided to the Afghan National Security Forces and deliver on our commitments to the U.S. military and allies on this very important project and program."

The Navistar MTV is an extremely flexible platform that is already in service in Afghanistan in a variety of key missions including general troop transport, water tankers, fuel trucks, recovery vehicles and cargo trucks. Since 2004, Navistar has provided nearly 9,000 MTVs to the ANA and ANP. There are another 14,000 Navistar MTVs in service with military units around the world.

The vehicles will be upgraded at the Navistar Defense facility in West Point, Miss. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in April with completion scheduled for July.

Navistar International Corporation (NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International® brand commercial and military trucks, IC Bus™ brand school and commercial buses and Navistar RV brands of recreational vehicles. The company also produces proprietary diesel engines and provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/142867/navistar-wins-afghan-armored-cab-order.html

Citation :

Watervliet Arsenal to supply 60mm mortars to Afghan National Army
26 February 2013
Watervliet Arsenal has been awarded an urgent operational requirement (UOR) contract for production and delivery of 60mm-mnortar systems to the Afghan National Army (ANA).

Awarded as part of the US State Department's foreign military sales (FMS) programme, the $5.9m contract covers the supply of 900 mortar systems to provide indirect fire capability to the ANA, following strategic withdrawal of US forces from the country by 2014.

The contract also aims to ensure speedy transition to a support role for the US and coalition forces by the spring of 2013, as announced by the US President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address earlier this month.

Speaking during a recent production meeting to senior Arsenal leadership, Watervliet Arsenal commander colonel Mark Migaleddi said the contract formed part of a concentrated fielding effort and would deliver up to 150 systems a month.
Watervliet Arsenal production planning and control division chief Ray Gaston said: "Our first shipment of mortar systems is currently being assembled for shipment and will go out this month."

Under the contract, the company's facilities will primarily serve as a staging area for 60mm mortar several parts, including barrels and base plates being shipped by other army installations, and will subsequently package them into complete mortar systems followed by delivery to Afghanistan.

Additional contract responsibility includes traditional manufacturing of select parts for the mortar system.

Having a maximum range of 3,500m, the 60mm mortar system is primarily used by the infantry as an indirect fire weapon in cases where a high-angle trajectory is needed to hit enemy troops, materiel and positions in the battlefield.

All deliveries under the contract are scheduled to complete by the end of August 2013.

http://www.army-technology.com/news/newswatervliet-arsenal-supply-60mm-mortars-afghan-national-army

oui non oui non

Citation :

AF awards light air support aircraft
contract
2/27/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force
today awarded a $427,459,708.00 contract to Sierra Nevada Corp. to provide light
air support aircraft and associated maintenance and training for the Afghan air
force.

Under this contract, 20 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to
operational air bases in Afghanistan beginning in the summer of 2014 to conduct
advanced flight training, surveillance, close air support and air interdiction
missions.

The contract requirements call for a known, predominantly
stable design due to austere conditions, the possibility for immediate combat
needs and the substantial learning curve of the potential partner nation
pilots.

"I am confident that the source selection process was disciplined
and meticulous, and we are excited to provide a much-needed capability to our
Afghan partners," said Lt. Gen. CR Davis, Military Deputy, Office of the
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.

Initially awarded
to Sierra Nevada Corp in December 2011, the Air Force issued a stop-work order
in February 2012 and terminated the contract in March 2012 during the Hawker
Beechcraft Court of Federal Claims protest and after an internal Air Force
investigation turned up documentation deficiencies in the source selection
paperwork.

As part of the Air Force's corrective action, a new LAS source
selection team was appointed, source selection training was reinforced across
the Air Force acquisition community, and oversight alignment and effectiveness
was improved.

The Air Force restarted the LAS acquisition as quickly as
possible in order to be responsive to the Afghan requirement and issued an
amended request for proposals in May 2012.

The first aircraft delivery to
Afghanistan, as required by the updated request for proposal, is anticipated to
begin in Summer 2014 at a rate of two aircraft per month.

www.af.mil/news

ca rappelle la bataille Boeing vs Airbus sur les tanker,les firmes US ne se font pas de cadeaux

Citation :

Pentagon Contract Announcement


(Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued March 5, 2013)



Textron Marine & Land Systems, New Orleans, La., was awarded a $113,431,277 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of Mobile Strike Force vehicles to support the Afghanistan National Security Forces.

This contract is in support of Foreign Military Sales for Afghanistan.

Work will be performed in New Orleans, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2014. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received.

The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-13-C-0170).


http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/143212/textron-wins-%24113m-for-afghan-army-vehicles.html

augusta a écrit:

Citation :

Pentagon Contract Announcement


(Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued March 5, 2013)



Textron Marine & Land Systems, New Orleans, La., was awarded a $113,431,277 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of Mobile Strike Force vehicles to support the Afghanistan National Security Forces.

This contract is in support of Foreign Military Sales for Afghanistan.

Work will be performed in New Orleans, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2014. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received.

The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-13-C-0170).


http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/143212/textron-wins-%24113m-for-afghan-army-vehicles.html

DETAILS

Citation :

Afghan National Army to receive additional MSFVs from Textron
12 March 2013

Textron Marine & Land Systems (TM&L Systems) has secured a contract for supply of additional mobile strike force vehicles (MSFV) to the Afghan National Army (ANA).

Awarded by the US Army Contracting Command (ACC), the $113.4m firm-fixed-price contract foreign military sales (FMS) contract covers production and delivery of additional 135 MSFVs, bringing the total number of vehicles ordered to date by the army to 634.

The vehicles will be provided in three armoured variants, which include an MSFV with enclosed turret, MSFV with Objective Gunner's protection kit and an MSFV ambulance.

TM&LS senior vice president and general manager Tom Walmsley said: "These vehicles deliver a combination of lethality, survivability, mobility and sustainability crucial to the army's ability to effectively respond to security threats and maintain the peace."

Commenting on the vehicle during the International Armoured Vehicles Conference in Farnborough, UK, ANA chief of general staff general Sher Mohammad Karimi said that the MFSV had been 'significantly upgraded from the original design to make it more survivable in the IED environment'.

Based on the M1117 Guardian armoured security vehicle (ASV), the MSFV is an armoured 4x4 configured with enhanced survivability (ES) capabilities, and other innovative protection design features, which improves blast protection to mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) levels.

So far, more than 300 vehicles have been delivered by the company to ANA since securing the MFSV full-rate production contract in May 2011.

The vehicles are currently serving either in operations with ANA battalions, also called kandaks, or deployed as part of a comprehensive in-country vehicle logistics support and operator training programme.

Manufacturing work under the contract is scheduled to be carried out at the company's facilities in the New Orleans, US, with vehicle deliveries set to take place through February 2014.


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http://www.army-technology.com/news/newsafghan-national-army-receive-additional-msfvs-textron

Citation :

En un an, les forces de sécurité afghanes ont subi de lourdes pertes
22 mars 2013 – 16:03
La stastistique a de quoi faire réfléchir : près de 3.000 policiers et soldats afghans ont été perdu la vie lors de combats contre les insurgés au cours des 12 derniers mois. C’est à dire que les pertes des forces de sécurité afghanes ont été importantes en un an que celles des troupes internationales qui, déployées dans le pays depuis 2001, déplorent 3.270 tués dans leurs rangs.

Dans le détail, 1.800 policiers afghans ont été tués, de même que que 1.183 soldats de l’armée nationale afghane (ANA). Ces données confirment la tendance qui avait déjà été observée sur les quatre premiers mois de l’année 2012. Les pertes des forces de sécurité afghanes sont ainsi 8 fois supérieures à celles de la Force internationale d’assistance à la sécurité (ISAF), placée sous l’autorité de l’Otan.

L’une des explications est bien évidemment liée au fait que l’ANA se retrouve désormais en première ligne sur une grande partie du territoire. D’où un taux de perte plus élevé par rapport à celle de la coalition, laquelle aura achevé son retrait du pays avant la fin de l’année 2014.

A cela s’ajoute le manque d’équipements des forces afghanes, notamment pour ce qui concerne la protection contre les engins explosifs improvisés (IED). Et puis il y a également le phénomène des attaques dites de l’intérieur, commises par des insurgés infiltrés dans ses rangs.

Enfin, les taliban et leurs alliés, parce qu’ils savent qu’elles ne pourront plus compter sur le soutien de l’Otan après 2014, intensifient leurs actions contre les forces de sécurité afghanes afin de les démoraliser et de décourager les vocations.

Et cela risque de ne pas s’arranger avec le retrait de l’ISAF. Les forces afghanes ont de lourds déficits capacitaires, notamment au niveau de l’aviation. Par exemple, elles ne disposent pas d’avions d’attaque au sol, même s’il est question de les doter d’Embraer Super Tucano, le contrat étant pour l’instant bloqué.

Aussi, la communauté du renseignement américain, qui a présenté ses estimations dans un rapport remis récemment au Congrès, est plutôt pessimiste au sujet de l’avenir de l’Afghanistan. En tout cas, elles tranchent avec les évaluations du Pentagone, lequel parle de taliban divisés et diminués ainsi que de progrès.

“Nous estimons que l’insurrection talibane a diminué dans certaines régions d’Afghanistan, mais elle est toujours résistante et capable de contrecarrer les plans américains et de la communauté internationale”, a en effet indiqué le rapport, présenté par James Clapper, le directeur du renseignement américain, qui supervise 16 agences.

Et d’estimer que la sécurité des régions où l’ANA a pris le relais est “très fragile” et que les taliban sont même en mesure de contrôler des villes et des routes stratégiques près des zones contrôlées par les autorités afghanes.

http://www.opex360.fr/