US renews contractor airlift support in Afghanistan to end of April 2015

[Stealth]

A Sikorsky S-61 operated by AAR Airlift Group seen in 2011 operating out of Forward Operating Base Sharana in Afghanistan's Paktika Province. Source: IHS/Gareth Jennings

A Boeing-Vertol 107 operated by Columbia Helicopters comes in to land in eastern Afghanistan. The DoD's announcement that it is extending its airlift support shows that the international community will remain engaged in Afghanistan for a while yet.
(IHS/Gareth Jennings)
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The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded contracts valued at around USD40 million for continued contractor rotary-wing airlift in Afghanistan, it was announced on 31 December.

Columbia Helicopters and AAR Airlift Group have been awarded contracts valued at USD20.06 million and USD20.39 million respectively for passenger and cargo airlift in Afghanistan through to 30 April 2015.

Both companies have been providing helicopter support throughout Afghanistan for several years, with Columbia Helicopters operating the Boeing Chinook and Boeing-Vertol 107, and AAR Airlift Group the Bell 214ST, Sikorsky S-61, and Sikorsky S-92.

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Contractor support has been one of the key facets of the war in Afghanistan, with the use of commercially owned and commercially operated (COCO) helicopters for 'behind the lines' logistical work freeing up military helicopters for combat operations.

Besides Columbia Helicopters and AAR Airlift Group, other COCO helicopter operators in Afghanistan include Vertical de Aviacion, Canadian Commercial Corporation/Canadian Helicopters, Construction Helicopters, and Evergreen Helicopters.

That the Department of Defense is renewing its COCO airlift support in theatre through to at least the end of April 2015 shows that, while coalition combat operations may have ceased at the end of 2014, the international community's involvement in Afghanistan looks set to continue for a while yet.

 

[weepforsweep]

We need to get out of Afghanistan completely. Since Osama Bin Laden is dead, there is no reason to stay in there. May the troops over there be safe.

 

[Stealth]

We need to get out of Afghanistan completely. Since Osama Bin Laden is dead, there is no reason to stay in there. May the troops over there be safe.

I don't think so, that's what your citizens want to get out of Afghanistan, not your troops decision. (~)>

 

[cyberpinoy]

Afghanistan still deserves to be rebuilt. For the damages we caused to be fixed. because there is still alot of tensions and people who hate Americans there we must protect the contractors and others helping rebuild what we destroyed in that war against Al Queda. It was not the faults of most of the innocent people that suffered losses due to this war on terror. and since he was not even found in Afghanistan but was being protected by Pakistan I think the Afghanistan people deserve what is owed to them for thier losses. I think the US government sent the wrong message when they went i stealth to take their target out. They sent no message that terrorist harbors would be retaliated against when harboring criminals that do things against US people. If it were me and Ben laden was truly at fault for the atrocities of 9/11 and I found out Pakistan was harboring him and not helping in the capture of him in any way, I would have bombed the place so bad everything in a 500 mile radius would have been completely destroyed. That tells terrorists and countries that harbor terrorists it is nnot worth the fee you are paid by the terrorists to harbor them.

 

[HELLOnamesdana]

Afghanistan still deserves to be rebuilt. For the damages we caused to be fixed. because there is still alot of tensions and people who hate Americans there we must protect the contractors and others helping rebuild what we destroyed in that war against Al Queda. It was not the faults of most of the innocent people that suffered losses due to this war on terror. and since he was not even found in Afghanistan but was being protected by Pakistan I think the Afghanistan people deserve what is owed to them for thier losses. I think the US government sent the wrong message when they went i stealth to take their target out. They sent no message that terrorist harbors would be retaliated against when harboring criminals that do things against US people. If it were me and Ben laden was truly at fault for the atrocities of 9/11 and I found out Pakistan was harboring him and not helping in the capture of him in any way, I would have bombed the place so bad everything in a 500 mile radius would have been completely destroyed. That tells terrorists and countries that harbor terrorists it is nnot worth the fee you are paid by the terrorists to harbor them.

I agree. I really do not think that that our troops are in extreme danger over seas in Afghanistan, and they do deserve to be rebuilt which they so desperately need. Plus if our soldiers come back to the United States, they aren't going to be able to find jobs like they want to. I've heard many times how soldiers have come home from war and they weren't able to find work, so they ended up getting hired to go back over seas! I think that it's perfectly find for our troops to stay over seas in Afghanistan right now, even with Bin Laden being dead for a few years now.

 

[cyberpinoy]

The biggest problem with Afghanistan was George Bush wasted so much money trying to rebuild it before the war there was over. he did not allow enough time for things to calm down and let the dust settle before he started rebuilding. How he was so stupid I will never know. The whole purpose behind the Al Queda attacks was to destroy the American economy, and Bush helped him waste a lot of american dollars by trying to rebuild to early. as we tried to rebuild they would purposely destroy the buildings we were rebuilding. This happened over and over and over.