Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: reports by British Military Attache Kabul 1 November 1947 to 31 October 1947’ [‎20r] (39/56)

S ECRE T
'’fe.
for the pQri Qd_lst_Hai^L
I
Sfnoial,
(a) Winter neather cor.bincd with the absence of Lt. Col. 4bdur Razaq
Kha> O.C. Sherpur Airfield in England, reduced the actiyitico 01 thy
Air Force for several nonths during the period under royiew. ine oix
Hind aircraft sent to Jalalabad in October last_returned to nbul i
the 13th of larch. While at Jalalabad a certain ?n?unt of flyin,
training was carried ou t and the aircraft vki.ro uti^izod ''.o
reconnaissances over the Safi tribal area m the Kunar valley J hou 0 h
no actual punitive action was taken.
(b) The Afghan Air Force has been re-organised on,the lines lore-
shadowed in r.y last report and will in future consist oi
(i) One Squadron - Hind aircraft. Two flights of 7 or
(ii) One Squadron - Avro XIX aircraft. Two flights of
6 aircraft. t ^ 3 ,
(iii) One Training Squadron with 8 iiger i.ioth, ana 1
Stearmn aircraft.
The present position in regard to serviceable aircraft is ehoen
in Appendix ’A’ to this report.
(c) Lt. Col. Abdur Razaq Khan returned to Kabul in February after
hpvirvz concluded a contract in London with Messrs. ^ • v, ace &
Ltd^for thellpply of 12 Avro XIX aircraft vath 3 years spares ana^
certain ancilliary equipoent at,a total cost of £ 338 , 000 . D^li/o,
are to begin Kith one aircraft in Jay, one in June and July r ; n lef;W "
in each of the nonths, August,.Septonber and October. Me cent..c ,
in-icludes the loan of the services by the supplier^ c
instructor for six seeks, and. one engine nechanic, on. airf.a-.u ^
mechanic and one radio mechanic for. one year. Theso insti aaor.
to arrive in Kabul cith the first aircraft in 1 .
hoped to arrange for the conversion training of Afgh|n personnel au
Karachi but it has since been found that the f^cxlitiv. tnere . - _
insufficient to per-ut of this. The Afghan ministry of Dofenc^n. .
FYcressed their gratitude for the help given to Lu. L 9 I. Au^ur n..z
bv^the Air Hinistry and Ministry of Supplies during his st^.y m bn^i ; ■
not only in connection vith his negotiations for tSe purchasu ox ^
Afro aircraft but also for the suggestions raae.for the reorg^ni^.t.-on
and training of the Afghan Air Force over a period oi xive y.-aro.
The Afghan authorities have stated that they will welcome a ^ -i^
to Kabul by G a'Staff Officer of the. Air Ministry and a se^or R. A^ .
Liaison Officer in Pakistan providing their visit is a private enu .
they travel in mufti 0
(d) Afghan interest in the establishment of civil sir ser/ie.eo in
Afp-hpnistpn anneprs to have lapsed at the moment and nothing ^ x ^
ii-i Jof Ehe » f 9 r,c„ T,,» 3 -World
in Januar"
Governmen
permitted
riMSataSJj EK 5‘s!Srar.H^ S g a rKhe«na^Jpri
and b y ndian aircraft far transporting their £tessy staff on th.co
nroasions in April. In all the above cases Dakota typo aircraiL --r
used. In addition there were two transit flights by ^ s ^ian ure^f*
to and from Delhi via Kabul in February and April. It uou^d seei-
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