Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      An Afghan maintainer waits as an 81st Fighter Squadron instructor pilot and Afghan pilot get ready to take off for high-altitude training at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., Sept. 16, 2015. Afghan pilots have been training with the 81st FS at Moody AFB, Ga., with A-29B Super Tucanos and came to Peterson for the high-altitude and mountainous terrain training. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Rose Gudex)Peterson hosts high-altitude training for Afghan pilots, 81st FS
                        
                        
                        An Afghan maintainer waits as an 81st Fighter Squadron instructor pilot and Afghan pilot get ready to take off for high-altitude training at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., Sept. 16, 2015. Afghan pilots have been training with the 81st FS at Moody AFB, Ga., with A-29B Super Tucanos and came to Peterson for the high-altitude and mountainous terrain training. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Rose Gudex)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Afghan maintainers check over an A-29B Super Tucano before taking off for high-altitude training Sept. 16, 2015, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Pilots with the 81st Fighter Squadron out of Moody Air Force Base, Ga., have been training with Afghan pilots since January and came to Peterson to train in the high-altitude and mountainous terrain. After the Afghan pilot training is complete, they will go back to Afghanistan to establish their own fighter squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Rose Gudex)Peterson hosts high-altitude training for Afghan pilots, 81st FS
                        
                        
                        Afghan maintainers check over an A-29B Super Tucano before taking off for high-altitude training Sept. 16, 2015, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Pilots with the 81st Fighter Squadron out of Moody Air Force Base, Ga., have been training with Afghan pilots since January and came to Peterson to train in the high-altitude and mountainous terrain. After the Afghan pilot training is complete, they will go back to Afghanistan to establish their own fighter squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Rose Gudex)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Two pilots from the 81st Fighter Squadron out of Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and an Afghan pilot walk to several A-29B Super Tucanos to prepare for high-altitude training Sept. 16, 2015, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Four Afghan pilots have been training with the 81st FS on the aircraft since January in Georgia and came to Peterson to experience high-altitude and mountainous terrain. After completing their training in the U.S., both the American and Afghan pilots will go to Afghanistan to help establish fighter squadrons. (U.S Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Rose Gudex)Peterson hosts high-altitude training for Afghan pilots, 81st FS
                        
                        
                        Two pilots from the 81st Fighter Squadron out of Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and an Afghan pilot walk to several A-29B Super Tucanos to prepare for high-altitude training Sept. 16, 2015, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Four Afghan pilots have been training with the 81st FS on the aircraft since January in Georgia and came to Peterson to experience high-altitude and mountainous terrain. After completing their training in the U.S., both the American and Afghan pilots will go to Afghanistan to help establish fighter squadrons. (U.S Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Rose Gudex)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Peterson hosts high-altitude training for Afghan pilots, 81st FSPublished Sept. 23, 2015
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class Rose Gudex
                    
                    
                    21st Space Wing Public Affairs
            **PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) --**Afghan pilots, maintainers and instructor pilots from the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, came here this month to conduct high-altitude training in the mountainous terrain.
Since the beginning of 2015, four Afghan pilots have been training with the 81st FS to receive extensive knowledge and application of flying A-29B Super Tucanos, as well as the inner workings of Air Force fighter squadrons, to help them stand up their own squadron back in Afghanistan.
The 81st FS is a stateside air advisor unit with a deployed mission, said Lt. Col. Jeff Hogan, the 81st FS commander. When the first group of Afghan pilots and maintainers finish their year-long training, the 81st FS will send Air Force pilots and maintainers to Afghanistan for support.
“We'll have a constant rotational presence in Afghanistan, helping mentor them as they stand up this new capability," he said.
The end result of this training is for Afghanistan to have its own air force that can sustain itself, Hogan said, adding that the U.S. partnered with the NATO coalition since the initial invasion and is in a good position to help train the pilots.
"There are other nations that could have done it, but we certainly have the capacity and the know-how on how to train our international partners," Hogan said. “It's a core (Air Education and Training Command) competency. We train thousands of international students a year.”
The training is aimed at propping up an Afghan-run fighter squadron that can provide aerial fire support for Afghan ground forces, Hogan said. To achieve that, the 81st FS is training the pilots on four different missions, including close air attack, air interdiction, helicopter and convoy escort, and armed reconnaissance.
The aircraft the pilots train on will go back with them to Afghanistan at the end of their training, according to instructor pilots. They’ll replace the aging Mi-35 attack helicopters, which have limited capabilities.
The training initially began at Moody AFB, which has an elevation of around 200 feet and doesn't compare to the high elevations in Afghanistan, according to 81st FS officials, who added that the Afghan pilots came to Peterson for more realistic training.
As with any mechanical equipment, performance is lower at a higher altitude, instructor pilots said. Since the air is less dense and has fewer molecules, aircraft can take longer to accelerate and it's more difficult to get off the ground, they added. 
"Peterson afforded us some great facilities," Hogan said. "We're very thankful for the support we've received here. This is probably the place that most closely approximated (Afghanistan) and what we were trying to do. We received a very warm welcome and we were thankful to get that." 
The most satisfying part of this training, Hogan said, is the opportunity to build another country's air force.
"This airplane will allow us to truly start to step away from Afghanistan," Hogan said. "When they can provide their own organic fires, support their own soldiers in the field and provide them with close air support capabilities -- that will be the major turning point that allows our country to disengage."Peterson AFB 



Moody AFB 



training 



AFCENT 



Afghanistan Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil