[ The Drive ] The State Department Has Abandoned Its CH-46 Helicopters In Afghanistan

The State Department Has Abandoned Its CH-46 Helicopters In Afghanistan

Evacuations in Kabul will likely be the last major mission for U.S. CH-46 “Phrogs,” which served in this same role in Saigon nearly 50 years ago. US Army The U.S. State Department has confirmed that seven CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters, also colloquially known as “Phrogs,” belonging to its Air Wing have been rendered inoperable and abandoned in Afghanistan as part of the ongoing evacuation effort.

The U.S. State Department has confirmed that seven CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters, also colloquially known as “Phrogs,” belonging to its Air Wing have been rendered inoperable and abandoned in Afghanistan as part of the ongoing evacuation effort. This non-combatant evacuation operation, or NEO, could very well be the last major mission ever for any Sea Knight belonging to the U.S. government, with the State Department already in the process of divesting its entire fleet. 

“The Department left seven CH-46 helicopters behind in Afghanistan which were rendered inoperable,” a State Department official, speaking on background, told The War Zone. “These helicopters were already being phased out of the Department’s inventory and were slated for eventual destruction due to age and supportability issues.”

That same individual also confirmed that there are no other aircraft of any kind belonging to the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Office of Aviation, or INL/A, better known as the State Department Air Wing, left in Afghanistan. This means that a number of ex-U.S. Army HH-60L Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the Air Wing that had appeared in Kabul earlier this year have now been withdrawn. 

It’s not clear how many other CH-46Es are still in the Air Wing’s inventory or how many of those airframes are actually flyable. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records show 23 Sea Knights registered to the State Department. This is the same number of these helicopters that it had on hand in 2018.

The State Department’s comments about the CH-46Es are also the first confirmation that the U.S. government does not plan to extract all of its deployed materiel, even aircraft, at the end of its presence in Afghanistan. If there is a sudden need to close out the ongoing NEO rapidly, other helicopters may well get left behind, as well. This has raised questions about whether the U.S. military might conduct airstrikes to blow up any such assets that get abandoned after pulling out the last of its forces on the ground.

“There’s going to be plenty of time to talk about regrets,” General Milley said at today’s press conference. “Right now is not the time.”

It is somewhat sad to think that the helicopters that did such a good job at keeping our diplomatic staff safe are being left in a hostile country. These aircraft could very possibly be the last operational Phrogs the U.S. government will ever fly.