Antonov An124 Airlifts Dutch Cougar Helis Into Afghanistan

Five Dutch Cougar Mk II helicopters of 300 Squadron have been airlifted into Afghanistan by Antonov An124 and began operations there in July.

Dutch Cougars loading into An-124

The Cougars are based at Kandahar airfiled and are deployed to provide troops transport for NATO units operating in the country. The first mission gave the crew an opportunity to become familiar with some of the difficult terrain in the region, with visits to Spin Boldak, Tarin Kowt, and Deh Rawoodand was used to redeploy around 96 personnel and then on to visit FOB Locke, named after Sgt. Mathew Locke, an Australian Special Air Services soldier, who died in a firefight with the Taliban in 2007.

Photo courtesy of Dutch MOD

With substantially more height available than the C-17 the An124 offers the best transport option for military helicopters requiring minimum breakdown for transportation.