Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’ [‎58r] (115/431)

Para 1 (d) Contd f
Pago 2#
/
.
work and punitivo operations against tribal forces^. Tho
aircraft to have a coiling of approxiimtely 20,000* for
crossing the Hindu Kush mountains and to be able to fly for:
a distance of 500 miles or more without refuelling* The
Ministry of Defence have stated that should it not prove
possible to obtain the general purpose aircraft they require
the Afghan Gbvt may be compelled to change their ideas and
purchase two types of operational aircraft i.e, the fighter
cum reconnaisanbe and the light or medium bomber typos* This
step they would take with reluctance owing to tho nighor
initial cost and thQ expense of maintaining two types of
aircraft*
i
(e) The U*S«A. Military Attache 1 has stated that with
tho exception of a demand for the supply of spares for the
Stcarman trainer ho has not had any other requests from the
Afghan Govt concerning aircraft $r connected equipment*
The two Russian Military Attache*s Mylnikov and Major
Raitcov have boon displaying some intord^t in Afghan
Air Force, and Attempting-to AllLLcit infon^^ 011 about the
present position from members o-T foreign missffift 8 and thG
i 3 !? ihsuructor* They have oven adopted dodge
£L aSki 2 g £ or TT G 9^^tion of a statement alleged to
a jitter to the Russian Ambassador to
of T^t?ch wor 9 purchasing a number
thon^h^onm anci No such, statement was made,
S lven t0 Russian Ambassador
and^th^ ^.Afghan Military Mission in India,
of d wnr +f^i G Ji’u 8 ^? 031 ?? t0 P urch ^se moderate supplies
wa f with tho object of securing &i»thsr control
over the tribes in the Southern Province. tutfer-
£ certain amount of interest has been shown in civil
+ ^f+ +u n, ft 5 u £ " taGre ^ eGn no developments and it appears
Afghan Govt are awaiting the report of their repre-
W ^° a ^ cn<iGd V/orld Civil Aviation Conference at
+ , ^ ca S° i n November last* The Afghan Govt*s attitude towards
the development of civil aviation in Afghanistan was expj^ained
in paragraph 1(g) of my last quarterly report on tho Afghan
Air Force. The Russian diplomatic courier air service
Tashkont-Kabul wnich had been in obeyance since the end of
^ 944 resumed with tho arrival of a D.C* 47 aircraft
in Kabul on 10th April* This aircraft has a much greater
carrying capacity than the obsolete P*5 aircraft formerly
™ + !^ is ■ s 2 rvica > and is possible that the Russians
may later attempo to carry passengers other than Russian
subjects on this aircraft, a form of infiltration in providing
a civil air service which the Afghan Govt will probably try
the r onQ S whi(^ h t.h“* C a^ 7 lan<a ° d on the ^aja Rawash airfield,
e one. which the Afghans propose to retain purely for their
ai£^™^ ry + a i* rcra F t Ii. The D,C * 47 was rsm °vod to the Shorpur
The f Shomnr X Ai a rQ 2 UQSt of ttlQ Afghan authorities.
The Sherpur airfield is much smaller than the one at Khwalp
Rawash, but is apparently largo enough for a D r C* aircraft
to take off with moderate safety in fair weather*
+hr> -pif-L ? e 3???? mdQ ^ t ^ e Conim ^ndant of the Air Force to
following ^ Mllitary Attache, dur ing April have included the
q k.m«+ a re ? lles ^ i* 01 * the specifications, price and avail-
ability of supply of one petrol tanker lorry 500 gPllon canacit
for use on airfields in Kabul for refuelliS aScmft? ^
(ii) a request fov details, price and availability of
supply of one recovery tractor lorry fitted with crane for
recoyer^iaircraft and their engines from rough ground*
a *} enquiry as to whether facilities for traininfi"
two Afghan f/T operators for work on the ground and in the
air can be provided by the R^.F. in India. Also an en^iry
as to whether similar facilities can be given for the training
of two photographers for the Photographic Section in the
0