Air Power, Insurgency and the “War on Terror” - Prof. Joel Hayward's ...

Chapter 8
of <strong>the</strong> country would turn into a near decade-long conflict which would help to bleed dry
<strong>the</strong> Soviet Union. In this war Soviet air power would have its counter-insurgency baptism
of fire.
<strong>Air</strong>lift
In addition to reconnaissance operations, air power played a major role before <strong>and</strong>
during <strong>the</strong> invasion with <strong>the</strong> overt <strong>and</strong> covert airlift of troops <strong>and</strong> equipment into Kabul
International <strong>Air</strong>port <strong>and</strong> Bagram <strong>Air</strong> Base (AB). <strong>Air</strong>craft from <strong>the</strong> Voenno-Transportnaya
Aviatsiya (VTA) 290
including An-22 (NATO reporting name “Cock”), An-12 (“Cub”) <strong>and</strong>
Il-76M/MDs (“C<strong>and</strong>id”) were pressed into service, with 38 percent of <strong>the</strong> total militarycivil
airlifter fleet being used. 291
In fact, airlifters greatly outnumbered attack aircraft
during <strong>and</strong> immediately after <strong>the</strong> invasion. For example, AA was thought to have sent
only 20 Mi-24V (“Hind”) attack helicopters to support <strong>the</strong> invasion. However, it was not
long before <strong>the</strong> Soviets experienced <strong>the</strong> Mujahideen’s welcome <strong>and</strong> realised that a much
larger force of offensive fixed-wing <strong>and</strong> attack helicopters would be necessary to assist
<strong>the</strong> DRA in curtailing <strong>the</strong> rebellion. 292
<strong>Air</strong>lift would play a vital role throughout <strong>the</strong> conflict. It was <strong>the</strong> bridge between <strong>the</strong>
USSR <strong>and</strong> Afghanistan <strong>and</strong> was increasingly burdened as <strong>the</strong> Mujahideen refined <strong>the</strong>ir
techniques for attacking Soviet road supply convoys moving from <strong>the</strong> USSR <strong>and</strong> troop
convoys moving around Afghanistan. Soviet transports operated from Termez, Kushka
<strong>and</strong> Mary airfields in <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn USSR, taking troops <strong>and</strong> equipment into <strong>the</strong> country
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> dead <strong>and</strong> wounded back home. However, <strong>the</strong> Mujahideen realised <strong>the</strong> reliance
that <strong>the</strong> Soviets placed on airlift <strong>and</strong> soon turned <strong>the</strong>ir attention to attacking freighters
with Man-Portable <strong>Air</strong> Defence Systems (MANPADS) as <strong>the</strong>y l<strong>and</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> departed from
airfields. In country, airlifters also re-supplied isolated Soviet garrisons such as Khost
<strong>and</strong> Gardez. 293
Hip helicopters
Key to <strong>the</strong> in-country re-supply efforts were <strong>the</strong> hardy Mil Mi-8MT (“Hip-H”) transport
helicopters. In many ways, <strong>the</strong>se aircraft were <strong>the</strong> “flying Swiss Army knives” of <strong>the</strong>
war <strong>and</strong> performed several diverse tasks. In 1983 <strong>and</strong> 1987 <strong>the</strong>y carried <strong>the</strong> burden of
supplying <strong>the</strong> Soviet garrison at Khost which had been besieged by Mujahideen. The Hips
could supply Soviet forces in areas inaccessible by road or where road supply had simply
become too dangerous due to Mujahideen ambushes. 294 The dem<strong>and</strong> on <strong>the</strong>se aircraft
was heavy. One airframe notched-up 963 flying hours in one year, while <strong>the</strong> average
flying hours per year per airframe were around 426. The way that <strong>the</strong>se aircraft were flown
was testament to <strong>the</strong>ir robust construction; <strong>the</strong> aircraft could withst<strong>and</strong> punishment from
Mujahideen ground fire <strong>and</strong> could stay operational for long periods without maintenance.
<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror” 131