(TOLO News): The Afghan Air Force received five MD-530 Cayuse Warrior light attack helicopters on November 22.
The helicopters were delivered to Kandahar via a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft on October 27 and were reassembled for active service within ten days, according to a statement by the US-based defense contractor MD Helicopters Inc., as quoted by The Diplomat. The five helicopters, according to the report, are part of a total delivery of 30 helicopters ordered by the US Army under a wider $1.4 billion Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract issued in September 2017. The 2017 contract entails the “procurement of an estimated quantity of 150 MD 530F aircraft and required production support services to include program management, delivery support, pilot training and maintenance” to be implemented by September 2022, according to the US Department of Defense (DoD), as quoted by The Diplomat. The Diplomat quoted a contractor’s statement: “With the latest shipment, the number of MD 530F training and combat aircraft delivered to the Afghan Air Force has reached 60.”