An Afghan Air Force aerial gunner makes final checks

An Afghan Air Force aerial gunner makes final checks on a Mi17 helicopter before a functional check flight mission after routine maintenance at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, July 20, 2013. Second quarter AAF airlift missions increased more than 50 percent over the first quarter. Casualty evacuation missions alone reached 460 compared to 192 in the first quarter. Maj. Gen. Abdul Wahab Wardak, Afghan Air Force commander, attributed the growth to an aggressive training program. "[We] have always focused more on training young pilots and young flight engineers so they can perform better in the future for the Afghan Air Force"