US transferring Afghan aircraft to Uzbek control

As the Afghan Republic fell in August 2021, numerous aircraft fled the country, ultimately landing in Termez, Uzbekistan, rather than returning to Kabul.

Now, three years later, Uzbekistan is formally taking possession of the 46 Afghan aircraft that crossed the border, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

This fleet includes 22 fixed-wing aircraft, such as A-29 Super Tucanos, and 24 helicopters, predominantly Mi-17s but also including UH-60 Black Hawks and MD-530s. Among the fixed-wing aircraft are six PC-12s.

US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick has confirmed that these aircraft will remain in Uzbekistan, emphasizing that while the Afghan military used them, they were originally American-owned. This statement aligns with recent developments, including a $64.2 million contract awarded to Sierra Nevada Co., a Colorado-based aerospace and defence firm, for the repair of the PC-12s. 
The contract, part of the Foreign Military Sales program, stipulates that work will occur in Uzbekistan and be completed by August 2027. Sierra Nevada Co., in collaboration with Embraer, has previously worked on Afghanistan's A-29 fleet.

The Taliban government, however, has consistently opposed this transfer. Taliban Acting Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob initially threatened consequences if Uzbekistan and Tajikistan did not return the aircraft. Although his stance softened somewhat later, he maintained that these assets should rightfully return to Afghanistan.

Following Henick's recent remarks, Taliban Defense Ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarazmi condemned the US decision to transfer the aircraft and urged Uzbekistan to cooperate in returning them to Afghanistan, arguing that the US had no right to dispose of Afghan property.

Uzbekistan, for its part, argues that the aircraft are US property, as they were funded by Washington. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's special representative on Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, stated in May 2022 that the US had financed these assets and thus retains control over their disposition.

The addition of the PC-12s to the Uzbek Air Force, which primarily operates Soviet-era aircraft, will enhance its capabilities but could also present maintenance challenges due to the differing origins of the equipment. This situation may open avenues for increased US-Uzbek military cooperation.