Afghan Air Force

Afghan Air Force د افغانستان هوائي ځواک
Afghan Air Force emblem
Active	1924–present
Country	Afghanistan
Allegiance	Afghan Armed Forces
Branch	Air Force
Role	Air defense Air warfare
Size	6,800 personnel
Equipment	185 aircraft
Commanders
Commander	Maj. Gen. Abdul Wahab Wardak
Notable commanders	Lt. Gen. Mohammad Dawran
Insignia
Roundel
Ensign
Aircraft flown
Attack	Mi-35, A-29
Trainer	C182T, C208B, L-39C, MD 530F
Transport	C208B, Mi-8/17, C-130H

The Afghan Air Force (AAF; Pashto: دافغانستان هوائی ځواک ; Dari: قوای هوائی افغانستان), formerly the Afghan National Army Air Corps, is a branch of the military of Afghanistan that is responsible for air defense and air warfare. It is divided into three wings, with the 1st Wing at Kabul, the 2nd Wing at Kandahar and the 3rd Wing south at Shindand in western Afghanistan. Lt. Gen. Mohammad Dawran serves as Chief of Staff of the Afghan Air Force and Major General Abdul Wahab Wardak is the Afghan Air Force Commander. The command center of the Afghan Air Force is located at Kabul International Airport and the Shindand Air Base in Herat Province serves as the main training area.

The Afghan Air Force was established in 1924 under the rule of King Amanullah and upgraded by King Zahir Shah in the 1960s. During the 1980s, the Soviet Union built up the AAF, first in an attempt to defeat the mujahideen and in hopes that a strong Afghan air power would preserve the pro-Soviet government of Najibullah. The AAF had over 400 military aircraft, including more than 200 Soviet-made fighter jets. The collapse of Najibullah's government in 1992 and the continuation of a civil war throughout the 1990s reduced the number of Afghan aircraft to less than a dozen. During Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2001, in which the Taliban government was ousted from power, only a few helicopters remained of the Afghan Air Force.