Taliban Fly US Black Hawk Helicopter?

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TheGreenGoblin
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Taliban Fly US Black Hawk Helicopter?

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:17 pm

I guess it is one thing to fly these helicopters, another thing altogether to maintain them, and to keep them flying in any useful military sense.

The Taliban appeared to have taken flight on Monday in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that the U.S. donated to the Afghan government.

Videos shared on Twitter show the military helicopter flying over the Afghan city of Kandahar and it is reportedly being piloted by Taliban members.

A Pakistani military commentator tweeted, “Taliban flying an American-supplied UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Reportedly over Kandahar. According to BBC, the Afghan airforce had 33 of them in their inventory back in June. Unclear how many were captured by the Taliban & how many were smuggled to uzbekistan. #Afghanistan.”
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/0 ... -kandahar/



The U.S. spent approximately $85 billion to train and equip Afghan government forces between 2002 and now.

The Hill reported, based on a 2017 Government Accountability Office report, that between 2002 and 2016, the U.S. gave Afghan government forces 75,898 vehicles, 599,690 weapons, 162,643 pieces of communications equipment, 208 aircraft, and 16,191 pieces of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment.

Further, a 2020 report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that between 2017 and 2019, the U.S. gave Afghan forces an additional 7,035 machine guns, 4,702 Humvees, 20,040 hand grenades, 2,520 bombs and 1,394 grenade launchers, along with other equipment.

Thousands of Afghan government forces were able to flee the country ahead of the Taliban advance and some flew out of the country on various military aircraft. It is unknown how many aircraft were left behind for the Taliban to capture.
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Re: Taliban Fly US Black Hawk Helicopter?

#2 Post by ian16th » Mon Aug 30, 2021 6:42 pm

One assumes that the US trained air and ground crew have switch to the Taliban!
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Re: Taliban Fly US Black Hawk Helicopter?

#3 Post by PHXPhlyer » Mon Aug 30, 2021 7:12 pm

Better hurry up and get your ticket Gobs.
There might be a job waiting for you. :))

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Re: Taliban Fly US Black Hawk Helicopter?

#4 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Aug 31, 2021 3:16 pm

PHXPhlyer wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 7:12 pm
Better hurry up and get your ticket Gobs.
There might be a job waiting for you. :))

PP
I am getting there, one bit at a time (or rather, one hour a month), a bit like the old Johnny Cash song.... ;)))

I shall add a beard and the ability to shout "Allahu Akbar" in a suitably blood curdling manner to my repetoire! :)

Why don't you join me PHXPhlyer? You have a choice of aircraft... ;)))

Taliban Air Force.JPG
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Re: Taliban Fly US Black Hawk Helicopter?

#5 Post by Undried Plum » Tue Aug 31, 2021 3:37 pm

The Septics have said that they disabled 73 aircraft before leaving town yesterday.

The one (or more) that got away will be difficult to maintain without spares and rather easy for the Septics to plink in due course.

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Re: Taliban Fly US Black Hawk Helicopter?

#6 Post by PHXPhlyer » Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:04 pm

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 3:16 pm
PHXPhlyer wrote:
Mon Aug 30, 2021 7:12 pm
Better hurry up and get your ticket Gobs.
There might be a job waiting for you. :))

PP
I am getting there, one bit at a time (or rather, one hour a month), a bit like the old Johnny Cash song.... ;)))

I shall add a beard and the ability to shout "Allahu Akbar" in a suitably blood curdling manner to my repetoire! :)

Why don't you join me PHXPhlyer? You have a choice of aircraft...


Taliban Air Force.JPG
While I have lots of time in Caravans, time on the observer's seat on a C-130, and the Tucano would be easy enough, I don't really like the thought of being shot back at. [-X
On the other hand, dealing with red light runners, speeders, street racers, and road ragers here, the odds might be about even. :-??

PP

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De Mode?

#7 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Wed Sep 01, 2021 4:51 am

PHXPhlyer wrote:
Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:04 pm

While I have lots of time in Caravans, time on the observer's seat on a C-130, and the Tucano would be easy enough, I don't really like the thought of being shot back at. [-X
On the other hand, dealing with red light runners, speeders, street racers, and road ragers here, the odds might be about even. :-??

PP
De mode? No, 'La Nouvelle Vague'...

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=))
Though you remain
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Your destination remains
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