Colonel-General Gromov explained why the pilots from Afghanistan will not solve the problems of Ukraine Military pilots of the Afghan Air Force who fled to the United States are being urged to retrain under the fighter program and go to fight in the skies of Ukraine.
This was reported by a number of Russian news agencies with reference to an anonymous source. "Newspaper.Ru" figured out what could come of it.
The possibility of mobilizing Afghan pilots into the ranks of the Armed Forces with the help of the Pentagon was simultaneously reported by TASS, RIA Novosti and Interfax, citing an unnamed military and diplomatic source.
The interlocutor of the agencies claims that "the Ukrainian Air Force has lost almost all experienced flight personnel." As a result, there are no more trained combat pilots, and completely inexperienced pilots fly on the remaining fighters, restored at the expense of Western supplies.
"The problem of replenishing the personnel of Ukrainian military pilots by the West was planned to be solved at the expense of Eastern European pilots, whose Air Forces are 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 would be regarded as direct intervention of the alliance in the armed conflict in Ukraine. With all the ensuing consequences and retaliatory actions against NATO countries in Europe, which Washington is trying in every possible way to avoid," he told the newspaper.Ru" member of the Board of Military Experts Sergey Belousov.
Afghanistan is not part of any of the existing military blocs and its citizens, including those in exile, are free to voluntarily provide some kind of assistance to other states, Belousov notes.
Their Air Force had a fairly impressive fleet of combat aircraft that operated in cooperation with the 40th Army aviation and provided air support for joint operations to destroy the Mujahideen, both in mountainous and desert areas of Afghanistan," he told the newspaper.En" Colonel-General Boris Gromov, who commanded the 40th Army in Afghanistan.
The fleet of the Afghan Air Force at that time consisted of Soviet combat aircraft: MiG-21, Su-22, and other machines. Pilots and technical personnel were trained in Soviet aviation schools, then they completed their studies and practiced in Afghanistan itself.
"It was a useful experience. However, after the withdrawal of the Soviet contingent in 1989, there was no combat aviation as such, there were no MiG-29 or Su-27 fighters. Americans mostly taught Afghans to fly transport or training aircraft, it is possible that they succeeded in this, but this is far from the level of fighter aircraft. And the pilots of the "Soviet starter culture" are unlikely to be able to transfer any experience, even if they left for the USA. There are very few of them left," Gromov added.
Before the departure of the American contingent from Afghanistan, the country's Air Force was represented by turboprop A-29 training aircraft manufactured in Brazil. A small number of transport aircraft were present.
Afghan military pilots turned out to be not the most conscientious students in the United States. As evidenced by the quarterly report of the Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan of the US Congress (SIGAR) from May 2019, more than 40% of the cadets sent for training on AC-208 Combat Caravan light reconnaissance aircraft did not show up for training. Some of them were detained while trying to move to Canada.
The Pentagon then stopped the training program for pilots of the Afghan Air Force in the United States.
"Retraining a combat pilot from one type of aircraft to another is a rather complicated process," he told the newspaper.En" retired Air Force Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky. - It's not a matter of several months, especially when it comes to mastering a supersonic fighter after a light-engine turboprop aircraft. Again, the Afghan military pilots have no idea about the control system of the same MiG-29, participation in air combat or hitting ground targets with powerful missile weapons."
Skepticism about the mobilization of Afghan pilots expressed in a conversation with "Gazeta.Ru" and military expert Alexey Leonkov.
There is also a language factor, if the Afghans are still sent to Ukraine, then what kind of move will they explain? And the estimated number of such Afghan pilots cannot really change the situation in the sky in the special operation zone," Leonkov believes.
On the other hand, Sergey Belousov believes that Americans can attract Poles or Czechs who are well acquainted with Soviet cars as instructors. "But, of course, it will not be able to change the situation qualitatively," the expert summed up.
Victor Sokirko