The majority of a fleet of transport aircraft purchased by the US Air Force on behalf of the Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC) has been scrapped for a fraction of their original price tag.
The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in December 2013 launched a review of the $486 million deal for 20 Alenia Aermacchi G222s that the Italian air force had grounded and put in storage.
The review was initiated because the aircraft could not meet the ANAAC’s operational requirements, SIGAR says in a 3 October letter to US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.
Alenia delivered the first of 20 G222 aircraft in September 2009 to the ANAAC, which designates them C-27s. The former Italian air force G222s were removed from storage and refurbished by Alenia, which was to guarantee an operational life of 10,000 flight hours. During refurbishment, a number of structural deficiencies were found, including structural cracks and corrosion on unexpected places like the leading edges of the wings and horizontal stabilizers.
The ANAAC had planned to establish a C-27 base in Kabul.
“The G222 programme apparently ended in March 2013 after experiencing continuous and severe operational difficulties, including a lack of spare parts,” SIGAR says.
During a recent trip to Kabul International Airport, SIGAR John Sopko found 16 of the G222s parked on a tarmac in a state of disuse and disrepair. The same 16 aircraft were subsequently towed to a field by the US Defense Logistics Agency, he says. The aircraft were then scrapped by an Afghan company for a total of $32,000, he says. Photos accompanying the letter, which was made public by SIGAR, show a backhoe dismantling the fuselage of one of the aircraft.
Image courtesy of special inspector general
“I am concerned that the officials responsible for planning and executing the scrapping of the planes may not have considered other possible alternatives in order to salvage taxpayer dollars,” SIGAR says. “Explain whether alternatives to scrapping the planes were considered and, if alternatives were considered, why they were not pursued, such as flying the planes out of Afghanistan to the United States, Europe or other country for sale?”
The remaining four C-27s are stationed at Ramstein AFB in Germany. SIGAR requested that the air force detail its plans for those aircraft. It is unknown whether components like the engines were scrapped or sold or what the end use of the scrap metal was. SIGAR has requested details about the deal from the air force no later than 17 October.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
