Afghan helicopter crews support elections with joint ISAF aviation mission

Lynx Mk9(A) crews from the Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan) in partnership with their US colleagues from the 441st United States Air Force (USAF) Expeditionary Advisory Unit and Afghan pilots from the Afghan Air Force (AAF) Kandahar detachment have been transporting ballot boxes, material and personnel to the city of Musa Quelah in support of the Afghan elections.

Just as coalition forces on the ground regularly conduct joint patrolling, AAF personnel using Mi-17 helicopters have been training with instructors from the 441st USAF to conduct missions across Helmand. British Lynx Mk9(A) crews have been supporting these operations by providing escorting and over watch capabilities. The Lynx Mk9(A) is employed in Afghanistan in a close air support role.

“Due to the topography of Afghanistan and the indiscriminate nature of improvised explosives devices (IEDs), supporting the election on the ground can be open to disruption.  The best and most effective means of achieving the electoral process in hard to reach areas is, therefore, to utilize aviation - specifically helicopters to support the procedure, said Major Dan McBride, Joint Aviation Group Afghanistan.

“The Afghan transport helicopters can only go to certain areas unaccompanied. We assist them with escort duties into those areas that have a higher threat. We provide those escort aircraft by either using Lynx or Apache,” said Group Captain Nick Laird, Commander Joint Aviation Group.

The Afghan Air Force is equipment with the Mi-17 or ‘Hip’ which is a Russian built helicopter designed to fly in ‘hot and high’ conditions. Using the Mi-17 helicopters, the 441st fly as flight advisors to both the AAF pilots and crewman who are improving their skill sets as military aviators. 

“We do all types of training. I’ve done gunnery training with them; I’ve done rocket training with them. We’ll do sling load training with them here shortly, just normal basic flying training, aerospace training – anything that would make them professional aviators,” said U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Todd Prejean, Commanding Officer 441st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron. 

He continues, “What we did yesterday was expose them to something a little different, a little more advanced. They’ve never seen a Lynx before as far as I’m aware. We’ve worked with the British a little bit – so any time we can expose them to other professional organisations, what it does for us is it shows them that this is not the American way, all professional aviation forces do it this way, so it reinforces their lessons.”

“This mission signifies a massive step forward; I was here three years ago when we were delivering their election materials; there was no Afghan involvement what so ever. However, three years later, the Afghans are flying their own election papers to their own people.  That, as far as I’m concerned, is a step forward and a step in the right direction,” said the Lynx pilot Warrant Officer Class 2 Jon Earp.

Source: UK Joint Media Operations Centre