Afghanistan Air Force To Fly First Surveillance Drones, Super Tucanos Next Month

Afghanistan Air Force will deploy the first surveillance drones along with A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft for combat operations in March.

“We are just getting the first drones that will be deployed by the corps,” US Major General Gordon Davis, commander of the unit that procures new equipment for the Afghans was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“We’ve been preparing sites. The pieces and parts are coming in now,” Gen. David added.

The commander of the Afghan Air Force Major General Abdul Wahab Wardak said last week that the A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft will start combat operations with the Afghan Air Force from the month of March.

Gen. Wardak further added that the Afghan Air Force has so far received four of the eight aircraft from the United States and the remaining four will be handed over in the near future

The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced in November last year that a contract worth $70 million has been awarded to a US-based company for the procurement of the ScanEagle drones.

A statement by DoD said the systems include 65 ScanEagle drones in total, along with spare parts, support equipment, field service support, as well as an in-theatre training facility.