Su-22М4 (Afghan Air Force)
د افغانستان د اسلامي امارت هوايي ځواک

Su-22M4
NATO: Fitter-K
Operator: 321st Air Regiment, Afghan Air Force
Location: Bagram Air Base (Afghanistan)
Timeframe: 1989
Loadout: Strike
- Outboard: 2x Fuel tanks
- Midboard: 2x R-60
- Inboard: Empty
- Fuselage: 2x Kh-25L

Personal interest:
The Afghan Air Force was supplied with over 400 aircraft from the Soviet Union following the 1979-1980 invasion. Among those were 45 advanced Su-22M4 strike fighters. The Afghan Air Force peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Most of the fighters were flown and maintained by Czech and Cuban advisors, as the Afghans were not well trained and the Soviets did not trust them to fly missions against their own countrymen. As the Soviet Union dissolved, so did the puppet Afghan government, and the military advisors left the country. The Afghan Air Force splintered among the various mujahideen factions. The Taliban, who later went on to rule Afghanistan, held most of the Su-22M4 strike fighters. They were unable to use them effectively. This model represents an Afghan Air Force Su-22M4 just prior to Taliban rule.