Ride Along For Strafing Practice In Afghanistan’s Spunky Little MD530 Attack Chopper

As Afghanistan struggles to build up its aerial attack capability, it seems like less is more for the embattled country’s air arm. Case in point: their MD530F Cayuse Warrior (AKA Little Bird in the American spec-ops world) light air support helicopters.

The type’s origins can be traced back to the Vietnam era OH-6 “Loach” scout helicopter. Today, the design is offered in various configurations featuring a wide range of levels of advancement. This includes commercial models that offer light utility capabilities up to the potent and technology-packed AH-6i, the most capable military variant that’s getting good traction on the export market. Afghanistan’s relatively simple MD530F Cayuse Warrior model falls somewhere in between. It’s more gunship than anti-tank, missile-slinging night fighter, and that’s probably a good thing considering Afghanistan’s challenges when it comes to standing up its air arm with high-tech equipment. Still, these aircraft have their critics, some of which are within Afghanistan’s air arm itself.

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