This aircraft belongs to a small and secretive fleet that supports American special operators around the world, including the shadowy Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC. N80BZ is one of the US Special Operations Command's Tactical Airborne Multi-Sensor Platforms, or STAMP aircraft. The Beech is a dedicated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform but has a special task in locating and monitoring hostile communications transmissions, like geo-locating emissions from cell phones. In that way the US Army can track particular individuals and spoof spoof wireless networks.

A Dutch Viper blasts away from Kandahar airfield, armed with its standard 20mm Gatling gun, AIM-9 Sidewinders and Guided Bomb Unit (GBU) 12s underneath the wings, the pilot and its aircraft are ready to attack Taliban forces somewhere in Afghanistan. It is bizarre to photograph actual combat missions like this!

A Blackhawk with long-range tanks at its parking spot at Kandahar.

A 1983 CASA 212, once registered YN-BYY, but since early 2010 assigned to EP Aviation LLC, a showdow company for the infamous US Blackwater company.

A huge number of civil helicopters operated out of Kandahar airfield. Mainly Mi-8s, but also S-92, S-61, AW139, Bell 214s were seen.

During 2010 this DeHavilland was said to be operated by Presidential Airways, but at the same time, the aircraft was assigned since 2009 to a shadow company named EP Aviation LLC, that operates aircraft for the then US Blackwater organization. During late 2010, the aircraft was transferred to AAR Airlift, a company that provides the US government operational aviation solutions. The aircraft is reported as stored since 2013, but no location is known to me.

Hopefully your monitor is wide enough. A Nigerian DC-8 at the taxiway of Kandahar. The aircraft was operated by Johnsons Air and looked great.

A US Department of State UH-1H (ex US Army 67-17669) in a striking color scheme at a remote platform of Kandahar airfield. This Huey was registered to the US Department of State on 11 Feb 2008 as N378SD (not visibly carried), and still current as such by 2023. The US Department of State Air Wing (DOSAW) is operating former US Army Hueys in a secretive role (among others, they flew anti-drug missions over Afghanistan).

A well-armed and loaded HH-60G Pavehawk (also named Rescue Hawk) leaving its parking spot at Kandahar Airfield.

This former US Army Huey (ex 74-22409) was registered to the US Department of State on 7 Dec 2006 as N8232J (not visibly carried), and still current as such by 2023. The US Department of State Air Wing (DOSAW) is operating former US Army Hueys in a secretive role (among others, they flew anti-drug missions over Afghanistan).

C-17As are the most flexible strategic air transport aircraft in US Air Force inventory. This McChord AFB (WA) Globemaster III made a back-track at Kandahar's runway for a speedy take-off.

Flying with the Dutch Wildcats during a low-level tactical combat mission somewhere between Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces in Afghanistan, excitement all over!

The OMAR Mine Museum (OMAR = Organization for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation) in Kabul city unexpectedly showed me a number of preserved aircraft. Several former Afghan Air Force aircraft and helicopters were on display, but the war badly damaged most aircraft as well as the infrastructure of the museum. Luckily a large wall around the museum saved the inventory from further damage. This Su-7 was a composite aircraft (two construction numbers were seen 5806 left and 5804 right main wheel bay). The Fitter was repainted with donated money.

The OMAR Mine Museum (OMAR = Organization for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation) in Kabul city unexpectedly showed me a number of preserved aircraft. Several former Afghan Air Force aircraft and helicopters were on display, but the war badly damaged most aircraft as well as the infrastructure of the museum. Luckily a large wall around the museum saved the inventory from further damage.

The OMAR Mine Museum (OMAR = Organization for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation) in Kabul city unexpectedly showed me a number of preserved aircraft. Several former Afghan Air Force aircraft and helicopters were on display, but the war badly damaged most aircraft as well as the infrastructure of the museum. Luckily a large wall around the museum saved the inventory from further damage. This Mi-24 gunship is the former Afghan AF 334, c/n unknown. It is fitted with a door from Mi-35 serial 64, c/n 808764, which was located at the Pol-e-Charki scrapyard in Kabul.

A museum named OMAR Mine Museum (OMAR = Organization for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation), somewhere in Kabul city, showed me very unexpectedly a series of preserved aircraft. Several once Afghan Air Force aircraft and helicopters were kind of preserved, but the war in the country badly damaged the infrastructure of the museum as well as the aircraft. Luckily the whole was protected by a large wall, that prevented a possible even worse situation... current status of the museum is unknown. The serial of the Mi-24, from the first series built, was extremely hard to read, it was 344 or 334. Incredible that this ugly machine ever served as a gunship!