What Remains of Afghanistan's Air Force Five Years After Taliban Takeover

Five years after the Taliban took Kabul, the status of the Afghan Air Force's former fleet remains unclear. When Afghan forces collapsed in 2021, the Taliban captured a varied arsenal. The Pentagon had counted 174 donor-funded aircraft in 2020, including 45 Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks, 48 MD-530 helicopters, Mi-17 helicopters, 25 Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos, C-208/AC-208 aircraft, and four Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

Afghan pilots flew some aircraft to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, particularly the A-29s, UH-60s, MD-530s, and other machines. The Biden administration said most aircraft and helicopters were disabled by removing core technology or critical cables. Dutch military analysts Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans compiled a photo-documented list for Oryx of what was left behind, and they note it relies solely on photographic evidence. Their documentation shows a number of aircraft, including Black Hawks and Super Tucanos, remained in the country.

The Taliban cannot order spare parts from the United States for aircraft such as the UH-60M, which raises questions about how many remain flyable. The exact operational status of the fleet cannot be independently confirmed.