The Afghan Air Force (AAF), with Nato Air Training Command-Afghanistan support, has completed 2,000 hours of flight time in the C-27 Spartan.

US Air Force C-27 advisor with the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, Captain Larry Needham, said the milestone is an important step in the C-27’s path to replacing the Antonov-32 as the main transport aircraft of the AAF.

The AAF has undergone significant expansion in its capabilities under the Nato Air Training Command-Afghanistan mission, with various countries, including Hungary, the Czech Republic, Croatia and the UK assisting development over the past few years.

The C-27 is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft with short take-off and landing capability.

It is well suited for Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain and limited road network, allowing access to airstrips unreachable by most fixed-wing aircraft.