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After Obama’s bad deal, American Black Hawks will replace Russian helicopters for Afghan air force
The Washington Times ^ | June 25, 2017 | Rowan Scarborough

Posted on 06/25/2017 4:59:51 PM PDT by Kaslin

The Donald Trump Pentagon, in so many words, is saying that the Obama administration’s decision to waive punitive sanctions and buy combat helicopters from Russia was a bad deal.

The Pentagon’s first congressionally required report on Afghanistan under President Trump says the Russian Mi-17 chopper has proved a failure in the long war and will be phased out in favor of American-made UH-60 Black Hawks.

The Obama administration came to realize the failure in its last weeks in office and stopped the deal.

The report this month on “Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan” marks official confirmation that the Russian model broke down too often for the Afghan air force logistics system to keep up.

“Along with the increased expense and difficulty in maintaining the Mi-17 helicopter fleet, utility helicopters are in high demand and the required maintenance exceeds current capacity and capability, leading to maintenance backlogs and a reduced number of aircraft available,” the Defense Department report said. “Included in the recapitalization effort is an initiative to transition the force away from Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters to more reliable, cost-effective, and easier to sustain U.S.-made UH-60 helicopters.”

The Mi-17 stood as an outlier in President Obama’s economic-sanction-filled assault on the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to his invasion of eastern Ukraine

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; armsbuildup; aviation; barackhussein0bama; worstpresidentever
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1 posted on 06/25/2017 4:59:52 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

And how much is the American taxpayer on the hook for now?


2 posted on 06/25/2017 5:02:45 PM PDT by dljordan (WhoVoltaire: "To find out who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.")
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To: Kaslin

Hello, wait a minute.

The US bought combat helicopters from the Russians?

Was there collusion? Were they hacked?


3 posted on 06/25/2017 5:09:24 PM PDT by Attention Surplus Disorder (Apoplectic is where we want them!)
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To: Kaslin

Leading from behind except with our money! Bowbama is a complete failure!


4 posted on 06/25/2017 5:13:34 PM PDT by Road Warrior ‘04 (Molon Labe! (Oathkeeper))
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To: dljordan

$572 million USD for 30 MI17s ... money wasted ...


5 posted on 06/25/2017 5:22:09 PM PDT by Ken522
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To: Kaslin

Coming Soon

Rambo 7: The Final Odyssey

Sly Stallone, now 85, is fighting climate change in Afghanistan and has to shoot down Black Hawks cuz they’re polluting the air and the dang Russkie helis keep dissolving in the atmosphere.


6 posted on 06/25/2017 5:22:16 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Monthly Donors Rock!!!)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder
no... done freely with malice and aforethought
7 posted on 06/25/2017 5:25:24 PM PDT by Chode (My job is not to represent the world. My job is to represent the United States of America-#45 DJT)
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To: Kaslin

Anything those ragheads cant fix with pliers and wire and steer with reigns and a stick will be a failure.

Blackhawks? Pffft, a maintenance contractors wet dream.


8 posted on 06/25/2017 5:36:57 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (It feels like we have exchanged our dreams for survival. We just have a few days that don't suck.)
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To: Kaslin

This is the first I have heard of this.


9 posted on 06/25/2017 6:07:51 PM PDT by Parley Baer
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To: Sequoyah101

How soon before the Islamic Horde is using them against us?
Lee Enfield 303’s should be all the firepower a stone age culture needs.


10 posted on 06/25/2017 6:09:14 PM PDT by ar10
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

Perhaps the WaPo or CNN can explain how the Trump administration purchasing American made Blackhawks to replace Russian helicopters purchased by the Obama administration is somehow a Russian plot.


11 posted on 06/25/2017 6:09:33 PM PDT by Flick Lives
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To: Flick Lives
Perhaps the WaPo or CNN can explain how the Trump administration purchasing American made Blackhawks to replace Russian helicopters purchased by the Obama administration is somehow a Russian plot.

Duh, he bought those helicopters from his good buddy, Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky.

12 posted on 06/25/2017 6:15:16 PM PDT by Drew68
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To: Sequoyah101
Anything those ragheads cant fix with pliers and wire and steer with reigns and a stick will be a failure.

Blackhawks? Pffft, a maintenance contractors wet dream.

As someone with experience working on H-60s, my sentiments exactly.

This sounds more like the kind of deal Cheney or Rumsfeld would've gotten for us.

13 posted on 06/25/2017 6:18:27 PM PDT by Drew68
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To: dljordan

Apparently the Afgain Government requested the Russian made helicopters before the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, and naturally the U.S. Government is on the hook for paying for it.

Just as the Russian’s wont supply the Afghan Government with the support they need to keep their Russian Choppers flying. They should have gone American made, and now their entire fleet of 40 choppers has to be replaced with American made UH-60s.

Obama should have vetoed the idea particularly knowing we were on the hook for paying for them.


14 posted on 06/25/2017 6:19:07 PM PDT by Monorprise
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To: Kaslin

someone needs to look into who in the Russian military-industrial complex got paid off.


15 posted on 06/25/2017 6:25:46 PM PDT by JohnBrowdie
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Comment #16 Removed by Moderator

To: Road Warrior ‘04
Leading from behind except with our money! Bowbama is a complete failure!

It depends on which side you are on.

Obama ran up the debt as much as all the previous Presidents combined.

Hussein fundamentally changed America by bringing in tens of thousands of Muslims and other "immigrants."

The lone wolf mass shooting numbers skyrocketed under Obama.

****And this figure does NOT include the last year ++ of Hussein's rising murder rate. I give him some credit for innocent Americans being shot****

Hussein strained relations with allies such as Great Britain and Israel.

Hussein essentially laid the groundwork for the US to aid Iran to get nuclear weapons.

Hussein ordered NASA to help the Arab countries with their rocket programs.

Get the point? Hussein was wildly successful in hurting the US and it's interests. Many Americans think America's FIRST Muslim President was a traitor and should be arrested for his many illegal acts. And we didn't even cover the IRS, Benghazi, ........


17 posted on 06/25/2017 7:30:53 PM PDT by politicianslie (There are no MODERATE MUSLIMS.. ALL MUSLMS are commanded by KORAN to kill infidels. ALL MUST GO!)
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To: ar10

Lee Enfields?

Still too much firepower IMO.

I propose issuing them Brown Bess’ or some other single shot muzzle loader.


18 posted on 06/25/2017 7:38:04 PM PDT by 2CAVTrooper (Democrats... BETRAYING America since 1828.)
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To: Sequoyah101; Kaslin; Drew68

I agree. Another reason for the Afghanis to have the Russian helicopters is that the Afghanis are much more familiar with Soviet/Russian equipment.


19 posted on 06/25/2017 8:02:35 PM PDT by BBell (calm down and eat your sandwiches)
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To: Kaslin

Afghan air force = Jamaican bobsled team? Serous?


20 posted on 06/25/2017 8:08:01 PM PDT by Karliner (Jeremiah29:11,Romans8:28 Isa 17, Damascus has fallen)
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