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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani passes in review of Afghan National Security and Defense Force honor guard Oct. 7, 2017, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Ghani ceremonially cut the ribbon officiating the arrival of the first two UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters to the Afghan Air Force fleet. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)Afghan president welcomes first Afghan AF Black Hawks
                        
                        
                        Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani passes in review of Afghan National Security and Defense Force honor guard Oct. 7, 2017, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Ghani ceremonially cut the ribbon officiating the arrival of the first two UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters to the Afghan Air Force fleet. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)
                
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        Afghan senior government and international military officials stand while the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces band plays during the beginning of the official arrival ceremony for the first UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to the country, Oct. 7, 2017, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Leaders signed an official transfer of ownership and performed a ceremonial ribbon cutting celebrating the newest addition to Afghanistan’s young air force fleet. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)Afghan president welcomes first Afghan AF Black Hawks
                        
                        
                        The Afghan National Security and Defense Forces band plays during the beginning of the official arrival ceremony for the first UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to the country, Oct. 7, 2017, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Leaders signed an official transfer of ownership and performed a ceremonial ribbon cutting celebrating the newest addition to Afghanistan’s young air force fleet. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)
                
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        An Afghan Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter hovers over Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Oct. 7, 2017. The AAF received the first two Black Hawks from the U.S. to bolster their air operations capabilities. The helicopters provide sustainable, capable replacements for aircraft currently in use. The UH-60s will help the AAF and Afghan National Defense and Security Forces combat insurgent groups. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Gonsier)Afghan president welcomes first Afghan AF Black Hawks
                        
                        
                        An Afghan Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter hovers over Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Oct. 7, 2017. The AAF received the first two Black Hawks from the U.S. to bolster their air operations capabilities. The helicopters provide sustainable, capable replacements for aircraft currently in use. The UH-60s will help the AAF and Afghan National Defense and Security Forces combat insurgent groups. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Gonsier)
                
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        Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the official UH-60 Black Hawk arrival ceremony, Oct. 7, 2017, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Ghani and U.S. Army Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of the Resolute Support mission and U.S. Forces − Afghanistan, performed a ceremonial ribbon cutting celebrating the newest addition to Afghanistan’s air force fleet, while vowing continued commitment to the fight against the anti-government insurgency in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)Afghan president welcomes first Afghan AF Black Hawks
                        
                        
                        Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the official UH-60 Black Hawk arrival ceremony, Oct. 7, 2017, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Ghani and U.S. Army Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of the Resolute Support mission and U.S. Forces − Afghanistan, performed a ceremonial ribbon cutting celebrating the newest addition to Afghanistan’s air force fleet, while vowing continued commitment to the fight against the anti-government insurgency in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)
                
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Afghan president welcomes first Afghan AF Black HawksPublished Oct. 10, 2017
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel
                    
                    
                    438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
            **KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) --**Top Afghan and Resolute Support officials welcome the first two UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters at Kandahar Airfield Oct. 7, 2017.
Led by President Ashraf Ghani, an official ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the landmark progress of the Afghan Air Force’s modernization effort and inaugurated the helicopter into their fleet. 
Ghani spoke about the new helicopter and pilot training and its impact on the fight against the enemies of the nation, civil order and peace. He said Afghanistan is not just a front line, it’s the first line of defense of democracy and freedom.
“We share the same value of defending freedom, of living without fear. Terrorists of this world should know ... they will not thrive here. We will eliminate them,” Ghani said. 
Ghani also thanked U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson, Resolute Support commander and the U.S. military’s senior leader in Afghanistan, for his sacrifices, dedication and NATO’s work in bringing the Black Hawk to Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan is not only fighting for its own future,” Nicholson said. “You are fighting for humanity’s future. We are with you in this fight and we will stay with you.”
Citing more than 15,000 flown sorties and 9,000 delivered munitions by Afghan airmen, Nicholson highlighted the importance of the AAF in defeating the insurgency. 
“A tidal wave of Afghan airpower is on the horizon,” Nicholson said, emphasizing that the UH-60 is part of the modernization that will strengthen the force sustainably into the future. “The momentum has shifted, and it is irreversible.”
Together with NATO and coalition partners, Nicholson said, the Afghanistan National Defense and security forces will continue to make strides toward critical warfighting capabilities needed in defeating the insurgency. 
The UH-60A has been selected to enhance the AAF helicopter fleet and will augment the capabilities currently offered by the Mi-17 for a stable, reliable improvement of the force. 
Modernization will provide better capabilities for air missions supporting ANDSF operations throughout Afghanistan and increased interoperability with allied forces.
The event culminated with a ceremonial signing of certificates that officially completed the transfer of the first Black Hawks from the U.S. military into the AAF fleet.
The signatories of the document included Maj. Gen. Mohammad Shoaib, AAF commander, and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Phillip Stewart, commander of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing and Train, Advise, Assist Command – Air, who work shoulder-to-shoulder in building AAF capabilities. 
“Airpower has proven to be a force multiplier in the war in Afghanistan,” Stewart said. “The arrival of these first UH-60 Black Hawk heralds is a new era. The international community...remains committed to our Afghan partners to bring about the end of the Taliban.”
Calling the aircraft the physical manifestation of commitment to the fight for peace in Afghanistan, Stewart emphasized the larger vision for the young AAF, which has been a driving success on the battlefield and is continuously growing in size.
“The Air Force you see before you today is the best in the region,” Stewart said. “They will not rest in their efforts to win and secure peace for the people of Afghanistan ... and I’m proud to call the airmen within the AAF my brothers in arms.”
Following the ceremony, Capt. Jamshid Farhatyar, Afghan Mi-17 pilot, and his fellow pilots spoke about the honor to be selected for the prestigious training opportunity and upgrading to the new airframe. Together, he said, his team of wingmen look forward to the chance to take to the skies in the UH-60.
“I’m very excited to take the controls of the Black Hawk,” he said. “It’s very exciting to get this opportunity because of the increase in control and maneuverability the new helicopter will offer. It’s a challenge to learn something new, but we receive quality instruction and training and hope to see more Black Hawks flying the AAF symbol soon.”Afghan air force 



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