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Teaching communication to the next generation of Afghan pilots

  • Published
  • By MC1(AW) Elizabeth Burke
  • 438 AEW Public Affairs
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN --  One of the most important aspects of being a pilot is to be able to share and receive information on the go. The pilot candidates Lieutenants from the Afghan Air Force Thunder Lab visited the AAF communications squadron September 28, 2010 in Kabul to learn what the Afghan Air Force Communications infrastructure can provide them in the future.

The tour began with an overview of the communications capabilities; radio, Ministry of Defense network, and Voice Over Internet Protocol phone infrastructure across Afghanistan given by the Kabul Wing communications director, Lt Col Aminudin. Next, they saw the MoD network hub for AAF base in Kabul, which provides the computer and telephone networks for Kabul Air Wing and AAF Headquarters personnel. The third stop was the communication squadron duty office, where they saw High Frequency base station radio being used to communicate with personnel on base and across other AAF wings, Air units, and Detachments.

The last and most popular stop on the tour was the maintenance shop. Maintenance flight commander Capt. Hashim gave them an enthusiastic brief on the capabilities of the Ultra High Frequency, Very High Frequency and High Frequency radios used by the Afghan Air Force. HF radios can communicate ground to ground, ground to air and long distances, because the signal bounces over land through the atmosphere.
Over the years, the communications personnel have grown increasingly frustrated with the current pilot's lack of use of the radios to perform command and control during the mission.

"The current Afghan pilots tend to be uninterested in using the available radios to communicate prior, during, and after the flight mission; however, US mentors are making this a priority to ensure it is a critical aspect of their training while becoming effective pilots ," said Major Sanjoy Malhotra, NATO Air Training Command - Afghanistan communications advisor.

This tour was an opportunity to show and instill in the next generation of pilots how to use the radios and the importance of using them for command and control and in case of aircraft malfunction, bad weather or any unexpected events.

"I learned a lot today. We need more training, because this is important for our job," said 2nd Lt. Habib Amani, Thunder Lab pilot candidate.

Lt. Col. Aminudin's hopes that today's training outcome is a closer knit group of pilots and communicators.

"If they have questions or problems, I want them to know that the communications director and the communications squadron are at their service," said Lt. Col. Aminudin.