Cougar holandês sendo desembarcado de um cargueiro Antonov no Afeganistão
12:27 GMT, September 30, 2009 defpro.com | Five Cougar transport helicopters of the Dutch Armed Forces take over transportations tasks from Chinooks deployed to Afghanistan. An Antonov cargo aircraft successive brought the helicopters to Kandahar Airfield during the past weeks. According to the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the deployed forces in Afghanistan are impatiently waiting for the new helicopters to take over the abundant work which was so far tackled by the Chinooks.
Since 3 April 2009 Chinook helicopter have been operated by the Air Task Force in Kandahar. As the Ministry of Defence reports, they flew 625 hours for the ISAF mission in southern Afghanistan and transported nearly 6,000 people and over 300,000 pounds of freight. The helicopters have also supported the operations of special units, such as Task Force 55, to which also Dutch commandos and marines are assigned. On 1 May 2010 the Chinooks will again rotate with the now deployed Cougars helicopters.
In Afghanistan, airlift capabilities are most essential. Not only does the mountainous landscape make ground transportation difficult, but also the vehicles encounter various threats such as roadside bombs, ambushes and mines.
Referência: DefPro – Dutch Cougar transport helicopters take over from Chinooks in Afghanistan
Leia também:
- Upgrade nos Cougar holandeses
- Dois Cougar da ALAT chegam ao Afeganistão
- Mais um Chinook perdido na Afeganistão (e resgatado por um Mi-26)
