Afghanistan to field Chinook heavy-lift helos

Afghanistan is to receive an undisclosed number of Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to help replace its ageing Russian-built inventory and to enhance its air mobility capabilities, the US government disclosed in late January.

In its December 2019 report to Congress, titled Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan , the US Department of Defense (DoD) noted that it is to equip the Afghan Special Mission Wing (SMW) with Chinook helicopters to fully replace its current Mil Mi-17 ‘Hip’ fleet by the end of 2023.

The SMW, which is part of the Afghan Special Security Forces, will use these helicopters to support counter-terrorism operations.

While the DoD did not disclose numbers, the SMW currently fields approximately 30 Mi-17s that are in the process of being replaced by 40 Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Depending on the DoD’s plans for building up the capabilities of the wing, a force of about 10 to 15 Chinooks would provide an appropriate force mix.

Given the Chinook’s intended counter-terrorism missions, it could well be that the helicopters provided to the Afghan SMW will be the MH-47 special mission variant rather than the CH-47 transport variant.