Airman leads joint Mi-35 attack helicopter adviser team for Afghan Air Corps

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  • By Tech. Sgt Oshawn Jefferson
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Command combat camera team
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFNS) --  A joint team of American, Czech Republic and Hungarian advisers assigned to the 440th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron are making strides helping Afghan National Army Air Corps Mi-35 Hind E attack helicopter pilots get into the fight.

"We are seeing the results of the teamwork of our advisers and the expanding skill of our Afghan pilots begin to pay off for the benefit of their country's security," said Maj. Caleb Nimmo, the 440th AEAS director of operations and team lead for the ANAAC Mi-35 Hind E adviser program. "It's an honor to see the progress our Afghan brothers make on a daily basis and the lessons we learn from each other keep us moving in a positive direction."

The Mi-35 is a heavily-armored aircraft, fitted with a 12.7 mm Yak-B Gatling gun on the front. It also has the potential to carry up to four 57 mm KP, long-guided rocket pods for a total payload of 256 anti-tank rockets. Often called a "flying tank," the helicopter is durable, powerful and well-suited for the temperature and terrain of Afghanistan.

Czech Republic and Hungarian Operational Mentor and Liaison Team members and Combined Air Power Transition Force Airmen advise 13 ANAAC pilots on tactics, weapons firing, command and control, crew-resource management, safety, weapons loading and unloading, work ethics, NATO standards, military cultures, pre-mission planning, contact maneuvers, emergency procedures, navigation, presidential air squadron escort operations, and language.

"We have our challenges, but the Afghans are hard workers, who listen and are eager to learn from our collective experiences," said Maj. Bela Lazar, the Hungarian OMLT commander. "During training or missions there can be up to four or five languages being spoken (English, Dari, Russian, Hungarian and Czech) so we have to pay close attention when we communicate with each other. So far we have worked out good procedures and everybody plays their part to be successful."

Czech Republic OMLT members began ground training and limited flight training for Afghan Mi-35 crewmembers in the summer of 2008. In January 2009, Afghan Mi-35 training increased exponentially with the arrival of six refurbished helicopters

"We have been at the forefront of this training for a long time," said Capt. Martin Vanis, a Czech Republic OMLT MI-35 instructor pilot. "But the added knowledge of the Americans, Hungarians and the Afghans of course, has helped take this program to a new level."

One of their first milestones called for ANA soldiers acting as forward observers for interfacing with aircrews during live-fire missions on ranges around Afghanistan. CAPTF Airmen assisted with the challenges of instituting close-coordination procedures that will work on the Afghan battlefield and have seen the results in combat operations.

"Recently, our ANAAC MI-35 aircrews completed two milestones, first they were employed to neutralize Taliban forces in the Baghlan Province, their first kinetic operation since the beginning of (Operation Enduring Freedom)," Major Nimmo said, the first American to fly the Mi-35 in combat. "The other is a mission where our Mi-35 aircrews provided armed escort to Mi-17 helicopters transporting Afghan National Army soldiers to a forward location. These two missions show all of our training is paying off and our aircrews are proving they are more than ready to contribute to their nation's security."

Afghan Mi-35 pilots are not new to the airframe, but admit the training they have received has given them the confidence to execute their mission anywhere in Afghanistan.

"I have a solid mind to be a good pilot, but our advisers have shown us the organizational skills it takes to execute our mission in combat," said ANAAC Capt. Gholam Mohaiudin, an Mi-35 pilot who has more than 22 years of experience flying the airframe. "Teaching us to defend our friends in battle and serve our country is something I will always appreciate. We are an asset for the Afghan people and we can be an active part in the defense of our nation."

While engaging in kinetic operations, the joint mentor team plans to continue their training regimen of 16 training missions a week.

"These Afghans are true patriots and I will probably look back on this assignment as the defining moment of my career," Major Nimmo said. "The Mi-35 is an icon in the helicopter world. The Air Force uses the Mi-35 as the aggressor at their Red Flag weapons school at Nellis Air Force Base in Nev., and the Marine Corps uses it at the Marine Corps Air Weapons and Tactics School in Yuma, Ariz. I get to employ it as a part of a team which puts the Afghans in the fight and help them earn the security their country richly deserves."