Afghan air force to quadruple in size: minister

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan will receive more than 150 fixed- and rotor-wing aircraft from its Western allies over the next six years, the Afghan Defense Ministry said on Monday, quadrupling the size of its neglected air force.

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, speaking during a parliament debate on Monday, said by 2016 the Afghan Air Force would have an additional 152 aircraft, bringing the total number to more than 200. The air force currently has 52 aircraft.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman General Zaher Azimy said they were working on obtaining the aircraft sooner.

"We have in our developmental plan to bring the delivery time to 2014. We are working on this," Azimy said, adding the United States would be the main provider.

The fleet will include 74 MI-17 transport helicopters as well as fixed-wing transport planes and fighter jets, Azimy said.

During the Soviet occupation of the 1980s and up until 1992, Afghanistan's air force had as many as 500 aircraft -- including 200 helicopters and 100 fighter jets -- and as many as 7,000 personnel.

Following the Taliban's rise to power, the air force quickly fell into disrepair and much of the equipment that had not already fallen into the hands of warlords was destroyed when the hardline Islamists were toppled in late 2001.

Afghanistan's rugged, mountainous terrain means road access to much of the country is difficult, making transport by air more important.

Washington is sending an extra 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to try and quell a Taliban insurgency that has spread to previously peaceful areas. There are already around 110,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, including 68,000 Americans.

But military commanders have long recognized that long-term security of the country ultimately lies in the hands of the Afghans and only after the Afghan army and police are able to defend their country will foreign troops be able to leave.

(Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by Sugita Katyal)