Starting in 2022, the US Department of Defense will stop allocating funds for the maintenance of Mi-17 helicopters used by the Afghan AirForce, according to the report of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to the US Congress.
“The Afghan Air Force is gradually moving away from the use of the Russian-made Mi-17 aircraft. In the fiscal year 2022, the US Department of Defense will request funds for the last time to maintain the Mi-17,” the report says.
At the same time, the report indicates that the Mi-17 will remain in the Afghan helicopter fleet to ensure combat capability until the possibility of using the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters is prepared and the transition to the CH-47 Chinook military transport helicopters is completed.
The Afghan Air Force has 56 Mi-17 helicopters, 32 of which are operational, according to the report.
