A group of six pilots and loadmasters with the Afghan Air Force flew the first C-130 mission by an all Afghan aircrew this week.
On June 16, the aircrew flew cargo, 120 personnel and two casualty evacuation patients from Kabul to Kandahar and back.
“With the use of the C-130, we have the ability to do so much more,” Afghan Air Force 1st Lt. Khail Shinwar, C-130 Hercules pilot, said in a news release on the mission. “We’ve supported the elections, our Afghan National Army soldiers, senior leadership and transport the injured on CASEVAC missions with this aircraft.”
Air Force personnel and NATO air advisers with the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing helped train the crew to make the mission possible.