PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Captured Chinooks in Afghanistan
View Single Post
Old 2nd Sep 2021, 19:20
  #42 (permalink)  
sandiego89
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: virginia, USA
Age: 56
Posts: 1,061
Received 15 Likes on 10 Posts
Originally Posted by Ant
Not just helicopters, but apparently one or more C-130 aircraft as well.
See BBC news clip https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-58393243

So 2 questions along with apology for some thread drift:

Firstly, would the Taliban be able to fly and service a Herc to any realistic extent, assuming the somewhat unlikely scenario that they would find an actual use for it?
Then secondly, why on earth would machinery of that strategic and monetary value have been left behind?
That once proud Herky bird sure is canted to the left- imagine some serious strut issues on the left main, good luck with that.

I do note that the BBC and AJ piece both cite the abandoned "US Military helicopters" indicating the US military left them, but then show the little birds and Mil helos with clearly Afghan military markings. I have no illusions about who paid for these aircraft or their original sources, and maybe who did some work with them, but these were not quite "US Military". The 46's were with the US State department, and likely had little need after the Afghan mission.
sandiego89 is offline