Location: KIA / Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan
Date: February - June 2006
Away from Kandahar, the main centre for operations in the North centred around the Afghan capital, Kabul. Military aircraft based here mainly belong to the International Stabilisation and Assistance Force (ISAF). This is a NATO-led organisation charged with bringing piece and order to the country, During my time it was initially lead by Italy and then the UK. Operations could be viewed from the airport or from the nearby British base of Camp Souter. The mountains provided a dramatic backdrop for aircraft arriving and departing but for many days the city and airport were shrouded in haze and mist which made photography difficult.
Highlights were again the Russian-built aircraft with Antonov 124s quite a common sight along with countless Il-76s. Civilian movements were mainly from the two Afghan airlines - Ariana and Kam Air - but a small number of outside visitors put in occasional appearances. On the military side, a detachment of Norwegian and Dutch F-16s provided the noisiest departures. American, British, Dutch and Canadian Hercs were also a common sight.
The airport is also home to Mil-18s and 24s of the Afghan Army and the Afghan Air Force transport fleet of An26s and An32s. Unfortunately, I couldn't engineer a picture of the helicopter compound...
UN-25309.
UN-76499 an anonymous Il-76 arriving.
89 Blue one of the based Afghan Army Mil-24 Hinds.
RA-82081 an An-124 of Volga Dnepr.
ZZ173 arriving with downtown Kabul in the background.
USAF C-40B 02-0042.
MC-130E 64-0555 of the USAF.
Kam Air B737-200 YA-GAB.
5150/61-PG, a C-130 of the French air Force.
ZS-RSF is a civilian L100-30 of Safair.
Il-76 UK-76375 wearing Tashkent Aircraft Production Company titles.
Ohio Air Guard C-130H 90-1791.
Beech 1900 ZS-OLU in United Nations colours.
ZZ173
Norwegian Air Force F-16AM 277.
73-1218, a visiting C-12C.
Streaming vapour from the props as it climbs out is Canadian Hercules 130308
Another visiting An-124 was RA-82047.
Volga Dnepr Il-76 RA-76466 climbing out.
Romanian Air Force C-130B Hercules 5927.
