TASS, RIA Novosti and Interfax simultaneously reported the possibility of mobilizing Afghan pilots into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the help of the Pentagon, citing an unnamed military-diplomatic source.
The interlocutor of the agencies claims that “the Ukrainian Air Force has lost almost all of its experienced flight personnel.” As a result, there are no more trained fighter pilots, and completely inexperienced pilots fly in the remaining fighters, which have been restored at the expense of Western supplies.
“The problem of replenishing the personnel of Ukrainian military pilots from the West was planned to be resolved at the expense of pilots from Eastern Europe, whose Air Force is still armed with MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters, Su-25 attack aircraft. However, these countries are part of the NATO bloc, and their participation in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Moscow will be considered as the alliance’s direct intervention in the armed conflict in Ukraine. With all the resulting consequences and retaliatory actions against NATO countries in Europe, which Washington is trying to avoid in every possible way, Sergei Belousov, a member of the College of Military Experts, told Gazeta.ru.
Belousov states that Afghanistan does not belong to any of the existing military blocs and that its citizens, including those in exile, are free to voluntarily provide assistance to other states.
“Afghan military pilots are brave men, but they will not help the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I remember them very well from our war in this country.
The Air Force had a rather impressive fleet of fighter jets working in collaboration with 40th Army aircraft and providing air support for joint operations to destroy the Mujahideen in both the mountainous and desert regions of Afghanistan,” he said. socialbites.ca Boris Gromov, who commanded the 40th Army in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Air Force’s air fleet at that time consisted of Soviet warplanes: MiG-21, Su-22 and other aircraft. Pilots and technical personnel were trained in Soviet aviation schools, then completed their training and practiced in Afghanistan itself.
“It was an award-winning experience. However, after the withdrawal of the Soviet troops in 1989, there was no such combat aviation, no MiG-29 or Su-27 fighters. The Americans mostly taught Afghans to fly transport or trainer planes, they may be successful at it, but this is far from the level of fighter planes. And the pilots of the “Soviet sourdough” are unlikely to share any experience, even if they go to the United States. Very few of them remain,” Gromov added.
Prior to the departure of the American contingent from Afghanistan, the country’s Air Force was represented by the Brazilian A-29 turboprop trainer. Few transport aircraft were present.
It turns out that Afghan military pilots are not the most conscientious students in the United States. According to the US Congress Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) May 2019 quarterly report, more than 40% of the cadets sent for training on the AC-208 Combat Caravan light reconnaissance aircraft did not show up for training. Some were detained while trying to cross into Canada.
The Pentagon then ended the Afghan Air Force pilot training program in the US.
“Retraining a fighter pilot from one aircraft type to another is a pretty complex process,” retired Air Force Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky told socialbites.ca. – It’s not a matter of a few months, especially when it comes to mastering a supersonic fighter after a light-engined turboprop. Again, Afghan military pilots have no idea about the control system of the same MiG-29, participation in air combat or defeating ground targets with powerful missile weapons.
Doubts about the mobilization of Afghan pilots were expressed by military expert Alexei Leonkov in a conversation with socialbites.ca.
“There is no one in the United States to train them, there are still no pilots there who can fly the Soviet planes used in the Ukrainian Air Force.
There is also the language factor, if Afghans are still being sent to Ukraine, then in what language will it be announced? And the estimated number of such Afghan pilots cannot really change the sky situation in the special operations area,” Leonkov said.
On the other hand, Sergei Belousov believes that the Americans can attract Poles or Czechs, who know Soviet machines well, as instructors. “But of course, this situation cannot be changed qualitatively,” the expert summarized.