Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing

From 6 December 2008 to 18 August 2011, the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing — known in Afghanistan as “Task Force Silver Dart” — comprised all Canadian Forces air assets deployed in the southwest Asia theatre of operations. The Air Wing was a unit of Joint Task Force Afghanistan, which comprised all Canadian Forces personnel and assets deployed in southwest Asia on Operation ARGUS, Operation ARCHER and Operation ATHENA.

The Air Wing had three main units:

• Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan (CHFA), “Task Force Freedom,” operating D-model CH-147 Chinook medium- to heavy- lift helicopters, CH-146 Griffon escort helicopters, and chartered Mi-8 cargo helicopters. The helicopters flew as part of a pool of aircraft tasked by ISAF Regional Command (South) Headquarters;
  
  
• Canadian Heron UAV Detachment (CHUD), “Task Force Erebus,” operating the CU-170 Heron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). With its great range and varied package of high-performance sensors, the Heron UAV covered wide swaths of the ISAF Regional Command (South) area of responsibility to provide critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance;
  
  
• Tactical Airlift Unit (TAU), “Task Force Canuck,” operating the CC‑130 Hercules tactical airlifter to transport CF personnel and equipment in and out of Kandahar Airfield, and fly throughout Afghanistan in support of ISAF operations.

The Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing also controlled all Canadian Forces aircraft arriving in and departing from the southwest Asia theatre of operations, including the CC-150 Polaris and the CC-177 Globemaster III strategic airlifters.

Background: Origins and development

Canadian Forces air operations in the southwest Asia theatre of operations began in 2001, with the Strategic Airlift Detachment, the Long-Range Patrol Detachment and the Tactical Airlift Detachment that deployed for Operation APOLLO. The CC-150 Polaris, CP-140 Aurora and CC-130 Hercules aircraft deployed on Operation APOLLO operated from Camp Mirage, the Theatre Support Base in the Persian Gulf region, in support of counter-terrorism operations by the coalition fleet in the North Arabian Sea, and combat operations in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, by the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group.

In 2003, when Operation APOLLO ended, the Theatre Support Element and the Tactical Airlift Detachment remained at Camp Mirage to support Operation ATHENA, which began that year as a peace-support mission in Kabul.

The stand-up of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing significantly increased the Air Force contribution to Canadian Forces operations in Afghanistan, which up to that time was limited to the Tactical Airlift Unit and the Theatre Support Element at Camp Mirage. The Air Wing broughtthe following new capabilities to Joint Task Force Afghanistan:

• transport helicopters, with armed tactical helicopters to escort them, to provide airlift based at Kandahar Airfield to serve forward operating bases and other destinations “outside the wire” in Afghanistan;
  
  
• high-performance, long-range UAVs to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support; and
  
  
• a robust command-and-control structure to ensure smooth tasking co-ordination and support to air operations.

The formation of the Joint Task Force AfghanistanAir Wing was a direct result of the study by the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan, better known as the Manley Report. Force-generation of the Air Wing was a major undertaking that included:

• acquiring six new D-type Chinook helicopters (soon designed the CH-147 Chinook) that were already deployed in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army;
  
  
• entering into a long-term lease arrangement for the use of three CU-170 Heron UAVs and their associated ground equipment;
  
  
• selecting, training and deploying the first rotation of aircrews and maintainers for the Canadian Helicopter Force Afghanistan and the Canadian Heron UAV Detachment;
  
  
• expanding Canadian air operations facilities at Kandahar Airfield to support three types of helicopters and the UAV detachment as well as the CC-130 Hercules airlifters of the Tactical Airlift Unit; and
  
  
• entering into a long-term contract with a Canadian firm for a fleet of civilian-crewed heavy-lift helicopters for logistics airlift.

All this work was accomplished in less than one year.

On 6 December 2008, the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing consisted of a headquarters, the Tactical Airlift Unit and the Theatre Support Element for a total of about 200 personnel. A rapid program of personnel and aircraft deployments brought the Air Wing to its operating strength of 450 people by February 2009, when it reached initial operating capability. Full operating capability was achieved in March 2009.

By providing airlift to reduce the exposure of military personnel to improvised explosive devices and ambushes, and reconnaissance capability to support combat operations, the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing saved lives — not only ISAF troops, but also Afghan soldiers and police, and Afghan civilians. It also made a significant contribution to the security and stability required for progress in development and governance initiatives in Kandahar Province.

Related links

• Operation ATHENA (CEFCOM)
• Canada's Air Force in Afghanistan (Royal Canadian Air Force)
• Final Report of the Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan (Manley Report)