US Delivers C-130H Hercules To Afghan Air Force

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) has received its fourth and final Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules transport aircraft from the US.

The air force announced that the aircraft was received at Hamid Karzai International Airport (IAP) on Saturday. The arrival of the former US Air Force aircraft from Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas marks the end of deliveries, which began in mid-2013.

These C-130s are the Afghan Air Force’s first four engine aircraft with this type of expanded capability,” said Denver native Lt. Col. Tyler Faulk, deputy director of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan’s Security Assistance Office.

These aircraft will now be used by the Afghan National Security Forces for internal cargo and troop transportation for executing missions, trainings and exercises.

“Afghanistan needs to perform more missions and having a fourth C-130 allows for that,” said Afghan Air Force Capt. Muhammad Azimy, a C-130 pilot.

“We need to support more troops, moving them as soon as possible from one point to another, getting them into the fight faster. Getting commandos from the north to the south by helicopter would take days, but by C-130 it will take only a few hours.” The pilot added.