title: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

text: Manga Entertainment, which released and co-produced the first film and collaborated with Bandai Entertainment to release the TV series, released "Innocence" with an English dub featuring the same cast as the one used in "" in the UK on February 27, 2006. The Manga UK dub was co-produced with long-time anime partner, Madman Entertainment who has distributed Manga UK titles in Australia since its founding in 1996. The UK English dub on the Region 1 Blu-ray disc features an audio error where the soundtrack has been pitch-shifted down, resulting in unnatural sounding deep voices and mechanical sound effects in slow motion, because the dub was produced to PAL standards rather than NTSC. This is also present on the standard DVD.


title: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

text: The controversy with licensing also affected its release in Australia. Although Madman licensed it through Go Fish Pictures, the English dub used is from Manga Entertainment, through which Madman have licensed all "Ghost in the Shell" properties. The licensing costs are extremely high due to two different licenses being in effect on the DVD release. It is unknown whether Madman will use the Manga Entertainment dub or the Bandai dub for the Blu-ray version.


title: Mazda CX-30

text: The Mazda CX-30 is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by Mazda. Based on the fourth-generation Mazda3, it debuted at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, to slot in between the CX-3 and the CX-5. It went on sale in Japan on 24 October 2019, with global units being produced at Mazda's Hiroshima factory, North and South American units built in Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico, Thailand and initial Australian units made at the AutoAlliance Thailand plant in Rayong, and China-market units produced in Nanjing by Changan Mazda.


title: Mazda CX-30

text: The CX-30 features lightweight construction to improve performance and economy, and is offered in either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive.


title: Mazda CX-30

text: According to Naohito Saga, the CX-30's program manager, the new model is targeted to drivers who are still single or are married and starting a family in the United States. Mazda chief designer Ryo Yanagisawa said that it will be more acceptable as a family car in Europe and Japan. Saga also noted that Mazda named the vehicle CX-30, to avoid confusion with the China-only CX-4.


title: Mazda CX-30

text: The CX-30 was released in the UK in December 2019 and in North America in January 2020. It was launched in the Philippines on 28 November 2019, Malaysia on 15 January 2020, Indonesia on 28 January 2020, and Thailand on 6 March 2020. The 2.5 turbo model was released internationally in February 2021.


title: Mazda CX-30

text: The 2021 CX-30 was awarded the "Top Safety Pick +" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It received overall Good and Superior ratings on all categories except the Premium trim built before October 2020, as it received a Poor rating on headlights due to the LED projector low beams creating excessive glare.


title: Mazda CX-30

text: The CX-30 received positive reviews upon its release. "Top Gear" gave it a score of 7 out of 10, with the verdict being: "Good car, the Mazda CX-30. Handles well, looks smart and has a lovely interior." "Car and Driver" rated it 9.5 out of 10, commenting that "If you're shopping small SUVs, the Mazda CX-30 should be at the top of your consideration list." Edmunds.com gave it a score of 7.9 out of 10, commenting that "Admittedly, it's a niche vehicle, but it has the potential to be a 'just-right' fit for car shoppers who want a slightly roomier and nicer vehicle than an subcompact crossover SUV but don't like the greater cost of bigger models such as the CX-5 or CR-V." Alan Taylor-Jones of "Autocar" gave the CX-30 four out of five stars, saying: "Satisfyingly agile and blessed with a truly high quality interior, the CX-30 is a tempting choice if you don’t need vast amounts of space inside."


title: Mazda CX-30

text: On the other hand, Christian Seabaugh of "Motor Trend" was not impressed with the CX-30, saying that "The end result is that it feels neither sporty nor luxurious. Like the brand itself, the CX-30 (alongside the more successful CX-5) finds itself stuck in the middle. Worse still, it's a disappointing effort in a competitive class." "What Car?" rated the CX-30 three out of five stars, commenting that "Its real strength lies in its ability to feel as luxurious as premium brands in this class at a much cheaper price. Just remember that rear space is tight and the boot isn’t anything to write home about, either."


title: Mazda CX-30

text: The CX-30 won the 2020 Red Dot Design Award in the Passenger Car category, as well as the 2020 "Autozeitung" Design Trophy in the SUV category. It also received the 2019 "Auto Bild" Golden Steering Wheel Award in the SUV/crossover category for vehicles up to 4.4 meters in length and was named Thailand Car of the Year 2020 by the Thai Automotive Journalists Association, as well as the 2020 Editor's Choice Car of the Year by "Top Gear Philippines".


title: Mazda CX-30

text: In 2021, the CX-30 was named Car of the Year by "Wheels" magazine in Australia, and it was selected as a Top Pick for Subcompact SUV Under 25,000 by "Consumer Reports".


title: Mazda CX-30

text: "U.S. News & World Report" ranked the Mazda CX-30 at No. 1 (tied with the Kia Soul and Hyundai Kona) on its list of Best Subcompact SUVs for 2022, giving it a score of 8.4 out of 10.


title: Dallas Austin

text: Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer.


title: Dallas Austin

text: During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events involving his life and career. Austin was born in Columbus, Georgia to a single mother who was the proprietor of a restaurant located next door to their home. He did not like living in Columbus because of the family’s living conditions and their struggle with finances.


title: Dallas Austin

text: As a child, Austin became interested in music and asked his mother to buy him a keyboard. She was initially reluctant because she thought he would become bored and quickly move on to a different interest. In order to convince his mother to make the purchase, he proposed she initially buy him a small machine. In addition, he successfully negotiated terms for obtaining new instruments: if he continued to make progress with learning how to use the machines she purchased, she would buy him larger, more intricate keyboards on a yearly basis.


title: Dallas Austin

text: As young men, Austin’s two brothers were frequently in prison for crimes such as drug trafficking and robbery. When he was a teenager, one of his brothers threw a keyboard across his bedroom. This upset Austin greatly, as he felt music was his way out of the environment in which his family lived, and ended up as a defining moment in Austin’s life. He felt that he could no longer continue living in Columbus and boarded a bus to Atlanta with the intention of living with his aunt. In order to keep their family together, his mother decided to move as well, although it took several months before she and Austin’s brothers could join. After she saved money and began working in an Atlanta restaurant, the family was able to reunite; however, the Ku Klux Klan were a persistent presence in the neighborhoods in which the family lived.


title: Dallas Austin

text: Austin got his start in the music industry when his manager William "Vybe Chyle" Burke introduced him to his business partner, Klymaxx member Joyce Irby. Joyce was the "way out" Dallas had been looking for. She enlisted as an exclusive producer for her company Diva One Productions. Though Joyce believed in Dallas' ability, the record labels didn't see it the same way. Irby and Burke went from label to label shopping Austin's work but they just couldn't hear it. Joyce was determined that the world would hear Dallas Austin. In 1989, she scored a solo deal with Motown Records and had 3 charted Billboard singles, most notable "Mr. DJ" with Doug E. Fresh which was co-produced by Dallas peaking at #2. Finally there was a real breakthrough. Austin went on to produce the songs "My Music" and "I Will Always Love You" for Troop's 1989 album "Attitude". When he was starting out as a producer, he would frequent a local skating rink and records that he produced would be played over the sound system; T-Boz, his future collaborator of TLC fame, was also a frequent patron. He used to take his keyboard to school with him, but his mother expressed annoyance at this, telling his school guidance counselor that she did not feel his production career would work out, but the counselor told her that because Austin had kept at his hobby for so long (it was his eleventh grade year), then perhaps it would indeed work out, and suggested that Austin's mother back him. His mother, upon hearing this from a third party, agreed to support Austin. Austin, who was nearly finished with his compulsory education, expressed his wish to cease going to school. His mother, though not pleased with this, allowed him to do so. He spent a large amount of his time at the aforementioned skating rink, where the owners had built a studio for an Atlanta production collective, Organized Noize. All of this was around 1986.


title: Dallas Austin

text: In 1990, Austin branched out on his own. His work on Motown led him to work on albums by other acts signed to the label - the first being the little known group Glasswurk. Austin later helmed the bulk of the debut albums for the Motown signees Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men. When he telephoned Joyce Irby to say that he was to work with Boyz II Men, she told him that she was going to "[sue] everybody" and immediately thereafter hung up the phone. Austin initially did not understand why she said this, but would later find out that it was because he was considered a "work for hire" employee of Irby. He consulted a lawyer and the lawyer said that although the employment contracts to which he was a party were not favorable to him, they were fair enough so he advised Austin to keep working under them. Irby did not sue anybody and everything worked out as Austin was, as aforementioned, able to produce on the debut Boyz II Men record. When DJ Vlad asked Austin why he only produced one song on Boyz II Men's second album, he said it was because he "didn't like them" after the first album. He said in turn that this was because the members had ostensibly become vain since their success had begun, paraphrasing them emphasizing costly tangibles with statements such as "Man [...] I can't finish counting the diamonds in my Rolex right now.", and "we gotta let somebody win [referring to music industry awards] this year; good thing we're not there."


title: Dallas Austin

text: Austin was later recruited by L.A. Reid and Babyface to work on a couple of projects for their record label, LaFace Records. The duo recruited him to work on the debut album for TLC. From there, he was granted a deal for his short-lived group Highland Place Mobsters, which was Austin joining Theophilus "Chip" Glass of Glasswurk who were formerly signed to Motown. through Joyce Irby's Diva One Productions.


title: Dallas Austin

text: After his success with other acts, Austin was recruited by After 7 to produce a few songs on their second album, "Takin' My Time". Austin then worked with Madonna on her 1994 album "Bedtime Stories". In the 2000s, Austin worked with pop acts and produced hit singles like TLC's "Unpretty", Pink's songs "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Just Like a Pill," and Gwen Stefani's 2004 single "Cool."


title: Dallas Austin

text: Austin has 3 children, including a son, Tron Austin, born in 1997 to TLC singer Chilli, and a niece, whom he helped raise after the death of his brother, Claude Austin, in 1994.


title: Dallas Austin

text: Austin owned a personal recording studio named D.A.R.P., an acronym for "Dallas Austin's Recording Projects in which Alvin Speights was his primary mixing engineer." It was later renamed UAMG Studios, short for "Urban Angels Music Group."


title: Link-local address

text: In computer networking, a link-local address is a unicast network address that is valid only for communications within the subnetwork that the host is connected to. Link-local addresses are most often assigned automatically with a process known as stateless address autoconfiguration or link-local address autoconfiguration, also known as automatic private IP addressing (APIPA) or auto-IP.


title: Link-local address

text: Link-local addresses are not guaranteed to be unique beyond their network segment. Therefore, routers do not forward packets with link-local source or destination addresses.


title: Link-local address

text: IPv4 link-local addresses are assigned from address block ( through ). In IPv6, they are assigned from the block .


title: Link-local address

text: Link-local addresses may be assigned manually by an administrator or by automatic operating system procedures. In Internet Protocol (IP) networks, they are assigned most often using stateless address autoconfiguration, a process that often uses a stochastic process to select the value of link-local addresses, assigning a pseudo-random address that is different for each session. However, in IPv6 the link-local address may be derived from the interface media access control (MAC) address in a rule-based method.


title: Link-local address

text: In IPv4, link-local addresses are normally only used when no external, stateful mechanism of address configuration exists, such as the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), or when another primary configuration method has failed. In IPv6, link-local addresses are always assigned, along with addresses of other scopes, and are required for the internal functioning of various protocol components.


title: Link-local address

text: The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has reserved the IPv4 address block () for link-local addressing. The entire range may be used for this purpose, except for the first 256 and last 256 addresses ( and ), which are reserved for future use and must not be selected by a host using this dynamic configuration mechanism. Link-local addresses are assigned to interfaces by host-internal, i.e. stateless, address autoconfiguration when other means of address assignment are not available.


title: Link-local address

text: The simultaneous use of IPv4 addresses of different scope on the same interface, such as configuring link-local addresses as well as globally routable addresses, may lead to confusion and increased complexity. Therefore, hosts search for a DHCP server on the network before assigning link-local addresses.


title: Link-local address

text: In the automatic address configuration process, network hosts select a random candidate address within the reserved range and use Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) probes to ascertain that the address is not in use on the network. If a reply is received to the ARP probe, it indicates the candidate IP address is already in use; a new random candidate IP address is then created and the process repeated. The process ends when there is no reply to the ARP, indicating the candidate IP address is available.


title: Link-local address

text: When a globally routable or a private address becomes available after a link-local address has been assigned, the use of the new address should generally be preferred to the link-local address for new connections but communication via the link-local address is still possible.


title: Link-local address

text: Microsoft refers to this address autoconfiguration method as Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA).


title: Link-local address

text: In the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6), the address block has been reserved for link-local unicast addressing. Of the 64 bits of a link-local addresses' network component, the most significant 10 bits (1111111010) correspond to the IANA-reserved "global routing prefix" for link-local addresses, while the "subnet ID" (the remaining 54 bits) is zero.


title: Link-local address

text: Unlike IPv4, IPv6 requires a link-local address on every network interface on which the IPv6 protocol is enabled, even when routable addresses are also assigned. Consequently, IPv6 hosts usually have more than one IPv6 address assigned to each of their IPv6-enabled network interfaces. The link-local address is required for IPv6 sublayer operations of the Neighbor Discovery Protocol, as well as for some other IPv6-based protocols, such as DHCPv6.


title: Link-local address

text: When using an IPv6 link-local address to connect to a host, a zone index must be added to the address so that the packets can be sent out on the correct interface.


title: Link-local address

text: In IPv6, addresses may be assigned by stateless (automatic) or stateful (manual) mechanisms. Stateless address autoconfiguration is performed as a component of the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP). The address is formed from its routing prefix and a unique identifier for the network interface.


title: Link-local address

text: Through NDP routing prefix advertisements, a router or server host may announce configuration information to all link-attached interfaces which causes additional IP address assignment on the receiving interfaces for local or global routing purposes. This process is sometimes also considered stateless, as the prefix server does not receive or log any individual assignments to hosts. Uniqueness is guaranteed automatically by the address selection methodology. It may be MAC-address based, or randomized. Automatic duplicate address detection algorithms prevent assignment errors.


title: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou

text: A drama CD was released in June 2012. A 24-episode anime television series adaptation by J.C.Staff aired between October 2012 and March 2013. It has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America.


title: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou

text: Sakura Dormitory is a dorm of the high school affiliated with Suimei University of the Arts (often shortened as Suiko), which hosts the strangest, most trouble-making students. After being kicked out of the normal dorm for keeping a stray cat, Sorata Kanda moves into Sakura Dormitory. As he starts to get used to the life in the dorm, Mashiro Shiina, a world-famous artist who cannot even take care of her daily life, moves in. Sorata is forced to become Mashiro's caretaker. The story is about their daily lives as well as mental growth.


title: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou

text: "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" began as a light novel series written by Hajime Kamoshida, with illustrations drawn by Kēji Mizoguchi. ASCII Media Works published 13 volumes in the series under their Dengeki Bunko imprint encompassing 10 main novels and three short story collections released between January 10, 2010, and March 8, 2014.


title: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou

text: A manga adaptation, illustrated by Hōki Kusano, began serialization in the April 2011 issue of ASCII Media Works' "Dengeki G's Magazine". The manga ended serialization in the magazine's May 2014 issue and continued serialization in "Dengeki G's Comic" between the June 2014 and July 2015 issues. The first "tankōbon" volume was released on October 27, 2011, and there have been eight published as of June 27, 2015. A four-panel anthology volume was published on February 27, 2012.


title: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou

text: A 24-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by J.C.Staff, written by Mari Okada, and directed by Atsuko Ishizuka, aired in Japan between October 9, 2012 and March 26, 2013 on Tokyo MX. It has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. The series was also simulcasted on Crunchyroll and is available for streaming on Hulu. The series makes use of five pieces of theme music: three opening themes and two ending themes. The first opening theme is sung by Pet na Kanojotachi, consisting of Ai Kayano, Mariko Nakatsu, and Natsumi Takamori. The first ending theme "Days of Dash" is by Konomi Suzuki. Episode 3 uses the tune "Days of Dash", but different lyrics and accompanying animation than episodes 1 and 2. From episode 13 onwards, the second opening theme is by Suzuki. The second ending theme is by Asuka Ōkura. The opening theme of episode 14 is "I Call Your Name Again" by Nakatsu under her character name Nanami Aoyama. The anime only adapted up to volume 6 of the light novels.


title: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou

text: A visual novel adaptation, developed by Netchubiyori and published by ASCII Media Works, was released on the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita on February 14, 2013.


title: Erik Sommers

text: Erik Sommers began his career working as a production staff in "Stark Raving Mad" during which time he expressed an interest in securing rights for bovine species.


title: Erik Sommers

text: During his time as a writer on "American Dad", he met Chris McKenna, who would become his writing partner. Together they co-wrote "The Lego Batman Movie" and "" (both 2017), as well as part of the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) "Spider-Man" trilogy from 2017–2021 and co-wrote another MCU film, "Ant-Man and the Wasp", in 2018.


title: Karma yoga

text: Karma yoga (), also called Karma marga, is one of the four classical spiritual paths in Hinduism, one based on the "yoga of action", the others being Jnana yoga (path of knowledge), Rāja yoga (path of meditation) and Bhakti yoga (path of loving devotion to a personal god). To a "karma yogi", right action is a form of prayer. The three paths are not mutually exclusive in Hinduism, but the relative emphasis between Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga varies by the individual.


title: Karma yoga

text: Of the classical paths to spiritual liberation in Hinduism, karma yoga is the path of unselfish action. It teaches that a spiritual seeker should act according to dharma, without being attached to the fruits or personal consequences. Karma Yoga, states the "Bhagavad Gita", purifies the mind. It leads one to consider dharma of work, and the work according to one's dharma, doing god's work and in that sense becoming and being "like unto god Krishna" in every moment of one's life.


title: Karma yoga

text: According to Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita, Karma yoga is the spiritual practice of "selfless action performed for the benefit of others". Karma yoga is a path to reach moksha (spiritual liberation) through work. It is rightful action without being attached to fruits or being manipulated by what the results might be, a dedication to one's duty, and trying one's best while being neutral to rewards or outcomes such as success or failure.


title: Karma yoga

text: The tendency for a human being to seek the fruits of action is normal, state Hindu texts, but an exclusive attachment to fruits and positive immediate consequences can compromise dharma (ethical, rightful action). Karma yoga, states Bilimoria, is "ethically fine-tuned action". According to Stephen Phillips, a professor of philosophy and Asian studies, "only dharmic action" is suitable in "karma yoga", where one downplays one's own exclusive role or one's own exclusive interests. Instead, the "karma yogi" considers the interests of all parties impartially, all beings, the elements of "Prakṛti" and then does the right thing. However, adds Phillips, there are commentators who disagree and state "any action can be done as karma yoga" and it doesn't have to be consistent with dharma.


title: Karma yoga

text: Karma yoga, states Bilimoria, does not mean forfeiture of emotions or desires, rather it means action driven by "equanimity, balance", with "dispassion, disinterest", avoiding "one sidedness, fear, craving, favoring self or one group or clan, self-pity, self-aggrandizement or any form of extreme reactiveness". A Karma yogi acts and does his or her duty, whether that be as "a homemaker, mother, nurse, carpenter or garbage collector, with no thought for one's own fame, privilege or financial reward, but simply as a dedication to the Lord", states Harold Coward – professor of Religious Studies with a focus on Indian religions.


title: Karma yoga

text: According to Phillips, Karma yoga applies to "any action in any profession or family activities", where the yogi works selflessly to others' benefit. This is in contrast to other forms of yoga which focus on self-development and self-realization, typically with isolation and meditative introspection. The "disinterested action" idea, states Phillips, is not unique to Hinduism, and similar disinterested non-craving precepts for monks and nuns are found in Buddhism and Jainism.


title: Karma yoga

text: According to the "Bhagavad Gita", selfless service to the right cause and like-minded others, with the right feeling and right attitude, is a form of worship and spirituality.


title: Karma yoga

text: Verse 3.4 of the "Bhagavad Gita" states that avoiding work or not starting work is not the path to become free of bondage, just as renouncing the world and wearing monk's dress does not automatically make one spiritual. Not acting is a form of action with consequences and karmic impact, and the nature of existence is such that human beings are always acting in their environment, body or mind, and never for a moment are they not, according to verse 3.5. The verses 3.6 to 3.8 of the "Bhagavad Gita" state that the action can be motivated by body or manipulated by external influences. Alternatively, it can be motivated by one's inner reflection and true self (soul, Atman, Brahman). The former creates bondage, the latter empowers freedom. The spiritual path to the liberated state of bliss is to do the best one is able to while being detached to outcomes, to fruits, to success or failure. A karma yogi who practices such "nishkama karma" ("niṣkāmakarma"), states Bhawuk, is following "an inward journey, which is inherently fulfilling and satisfying".


title: Karma yoga

text: A part of the premise of "disinterested action" is that the more one acts with the hope of getting rewards, the more one is liable to disappointment, frustration or self-destructive behavior. Further, another part of the premise is that the more one is committed to "disinterested action", the more one considers the dharma (ethical dimension), focuses on other aspects of the action, strives to do one's best, and this leads to liberating self-empowerment.


title: Karma yoga

text: According to chapter 5 of the "Bhagavad Gita", both "sannyasa" (renunciation, monastic life) and "karma yoga" are means to liberation. Between the two, it recommends "karma yoga", stating that anyone who is a dedicated karma yogi neither hates nor desires, and therefore such a person is the "eternal renouncer".


title: Karma yoga

text: The "Bhagavad Gita" gives a summary of the karma yoga process. The "Gita" itself is a chapter from the epic known as "Mahabharata", wherein a dialogue takes place between the prince Arjuna, and his friend and chariot driver, Lord Krishna, on the brink of a great dynastic war. Their conversation is prompted by Arjuna as he is engulfed by sorrow and misgivings regarding the oncoming battle in which he has friends and relatives on both sides. In reply, Krishna then elucidates upon a number of philosophical yoga systems and practices (including karma yoga) by/through which Arjuna should indeed continue with the fight on righteous principles.


title: Karma yoga

text: Therefore, without being attached to the results of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme.


title: Karma yoga

text: The earliest texts that are forerunners of the karma yoga ideas in the "Bhagavad Gita" are the ancient Upanishads, such as the "Brihadaranyaka Upanishad". Other Vedic texts as well as post-Vedic literature of the Mimamsa school of Hindu philosophy mention "karma marga", but these contextually refer to the path of rituals. According to Raju, the Mimamsa ideas, though orthodox, were the fertile grounds on which the later ideas of "Karma yoga" developed.


title: Karma yoga

text: Karma yoga is discussed in many other Hindu texts. For example, the section 11.20 of the "Bhagavata Purana" states that there are only three means to spiritual liberation: "jnana yoga" (knowledge), "karma yoga" (action) and "bhakti yoga" (devotion). Those who are of philosophical bent, prefer the "knowledge path". Those who are inclined to productive application of arts, skills and knowledge, prefer the "karma path". Those who prefer emotional connection, prefer the "devotional path". These three paths overlap, with different relative emphasis.


title: Karma yoga

text: Later, new movements within Hinduism added raja yoga as the fourth spiritual path, but this is not universally accepted as distinct to other three.


title: Karma yoga

text: According to Constance Jones and James Ryan, karma yoga is "yoga of action" while kriya yoga is "yoga of ritual action". Kriya yoga is found in tantric texts, and believed by its practitioners to activate chakra and energy centers in the body. In that sense, kriya yoga is a subset of karma yoga.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The Air Force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Air Force and the Afghan Air Force, is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The Royal Afghan Air Force was established in 1921 under the reign of King Amanullah and significantly modernized by King Zahir Shah in the 1960s. During the 1980s, the Soviet Union built up the Afghan Air Force, first in an attempt to defeat the mujahideen and in hopes that strong Afghan airpower would preserve the pro-Soviet government of Mohammad Najibullah. When Najibullah eventually fell in 1992 the Afghan Air Force may have counted 350 aircraft. The collapse of Najibullah's government in 1992 and the continuation of a civil war throughout the 1990s reduced the number of Afghan aircraft to some 35–40. During Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2001, in which the Taliban government was ousted from power, all that remained of the AAF was a few helicopters.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Since 2007, the U.S.-led Combined Air Power Transition Force, renamed the NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan in 2010, aimed to rebuild and modernize the Afghan Air Force. It served as the air component of the NATO Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan which was responsible for organising the Afghan Armed Forces. The AAF possessed about 183 aircraft in 2021 and over 7,000 airmen. The Resolute Support Mission intended to raise the ranks of the AAF to 8,000 airmen and increase the number of aircraft, which were progressively getting more advanced.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Following the withdrawal of NATO forces in the summer of 2021, in addition to a large-scale offensive by the Taliban, the mostly non-functional Air Force largely disintegrated. This culminated in the Fall of Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani fleeing to the United Arab Emirates. Large numbers of airmen either fled the country or stood down in the face of the Taliban, with many fixed and rotary-wing aircraft being destroyed or captured by the Taliban. Many other fixed and rotary-wing aircraft had flown to neighboring countries. It was reported that 46 aircraft (22 fixed-wing and 24 helicopters) have so far ended up at Termez Airport in Uzbekistan. After the takeover, Taliban expressed their intention to rebuild the Afghan Air Force and had called on US-trained Afghan pilots to return to Afghanistan.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: In July 1921, the Soviet Union promised to deliver aircraft free of charge to the Afghan government. In 1924 and 1925 the new air force saw action when it fought against the Khost rebellion. From 1921, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom provided a small number of aircraft to King Amanullah Khan; who had been impressed with British India's use of aircraft against the Emirate of Afghanistan's forces in 1919, during the Third Anglo-Afghan War. However, the aircraft he was given were not made into a separate air arm until 1924. For the next decade, Soviet pilots performed the bulk of the flying and equipping for the AAF, probably about one-half of the aircraft were Polikarpov R-1s, a Soviet copy of the de Havilland DH.9A. Most AAF aircraft were destroyed in the civil war that began in December 1928, and it was not before 1937 that a serious rebuilding effort began. From the late 1930s until World War II, British Hawker Hind and Italian IMAM Ro.37 aircraft constituted the bulk of the Afghan Air Force, which by 1938 amounted to about 30 planes in service. The Hawker Hind remained in the Afghan inventory until 1957, and as of 2009 one former Afghan Air Force Hawker Hind still flew in the Shuttleworth Collection. In 1947, the Air Force was redesignated the Royal Afghan Air Force (RAAF), a title it retained until further political upheaval in 1973.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: By 1960, the Royal Afghan Air Force consisted of approximately 100 combat aircraft including MiG-15 fighters, Il-28 light bombers, transports, and a few helicopters. Also by that time, a small number of Afghan pilots were undergoing undergraduate pilot training in the United States, while others attended training in the Soviet Union, India, and several European countries. In 1973 King Zahir Shah was deposed and Mohammed Daoud Khan became the country's president. During his five years in power, until the Saur Revolution of 1978, Daoud gained Soviet assistance to upgrade the capabilities and increase the size of the Afghan Air Force, introducing newer models of Soviet MiG-21 fighters and An-24 and An-26 transports. In 1979 the Air Force lost four Mi-8s. Improvements in the early-to-mid-1970s notwithstanding, the Afghan Air Force remained relatively small until after the 1979–80 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. While the Afghan Air Force was equipped with a large inventory – probably some 400 aircraft in the mid-1980s – many of them were manned and maintained by advisors from Czechoslovakia and Cuba. In many cases, the Soviets were reluctant to entrust Afghan pilots with either the latest aircraft models or high priority missions and, indeed, a number of Afghan pilots were equally reluctant to conduct air strikes against their countrymen. The Afghan Air Force was at its strongest in the 1980s and early 1990s, producing some concern on the part of neighboring countries. The Air Force had at least 7,000 personnel plus 5,000 foreign advisors. At its peak, the Air Force had at least 240 fixed-wing fighters, fighter-bombers and light bombers. Midway through the Soviet–Afghan War, one estimate listed the following inventory:


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Additionally, the Afghan Air Force probably operated some 40 or more transports, including the Antonov An-26, Antonov An-24, and Antonov An-2. Another estimate in 1988 painted a more detailed picture of the Afghan Air Force:


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The Mil Mi-24 and Mi-35 (export model) attack helicopters have a long history in Afghanistan. The aircraft was operated extensively during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, mainly for attacking mujahideen fighters. Early in the war, the only anti-air weapons of the mujahideen were Soviet made shoulder-launched, heat-seeking SAMs and American Redeye, which had either been captured from the Soviets or their Afghan allies or were supplied from Western sources. Many of them came from stocks the Israelis had captured during their wars with Soviet client states in the Middle East. Owing to a combination of the limited capabilities of these early types of missiles, poor training and poor material condition of the missiles, they were not particularly effective.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Beginning in 1986, the US supplied the mujahideen with its state-of-the-art heat-seeking missile, the Stinger, which the Afghans employed with devastating effect. In the first use of the Stinger in Afghanistan, mujahideen fighters downed three of eight unsuspecting Soviet Mi-24 Hinds as they approached the airfield at Jalalabad on a late September afternoon. Some scholars point to that event in 1986 as the turning point in the war. Moreover, for most of the remainder of the war when Stingers were known to be present, Soviet and Afghan aircraft elected to remain at higher altitudes where they were less vulnerable to the missile, but also less effective in ground attacks. Although employed extensively throughout the war as a ground attack platform, the Hind suffered from a weak tail boom and was found to be underpowered for some missions it was called upon to perform in the mountains of Afghanistan, where high density altitude is especially problematic for rotary-wing aircraft.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Overall, the Hind proved effective and very reliable, earning the respect of both Soviet and Afghan pilots as well as ordinary Afghans throughout the country. The mujahideen nicknamed the Mi-24 the "Devil's Chariot" due to its notorious reputation.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: After the Soviet withdrawal and the departure of foreign advisors, the Air Force declined in terms of operational capability. With the collapse of the Najibullah Government in 1992, the Air Force splintered, breaking up amongst the different mujahideen factions in the ongoing civil war. By the end of the 1990s, the military of the Taliban maintained five supersonic MIG-21MFs and 10 Sukhoi-22 fighter-bombers. They also held six Mil Mi-8 helicopters, five Mi-35s, five L-39Cs, six An-12s, 25 An-26s, a dozen An-24/32s, an IL-18, and a Yakovlev.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The Afghan Northern Alliance/United Front operated a small number of helicopters and transports and a few other aircraft for which it depended on assistance from neighboring Tajikistan.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: While the land forces, the army, changed fundamentally under the Taliban from 1996 to 2001, the air force was an exception in that the old structures and chain of command were maintained. The Taliban hierarchy had little understanding of the technicalities involved in safe flight. Pilots who refused to fly in bad weather were beaten and sometimes imprisoned.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: With the breakdown of logistical systems, the cannibalization of surviving airframes was widespread. The US air campaign in the fall of 2001 destroyed most of the remaining Afghan aircraft.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: After the end of the Soviet war in 1989 and collapse of Najibullah's government, the Taliban took over Kabul in 1996. Afghanistan faced substantial economic sanctions from the international sector during the Taliban regime. The sanctions, along with the Taliban government's control of Ariana Afghan Airlines and the grounding of many of the carrier's international flights, had a devastating effect on the economic health of the company through the 1990s. The fleet was reduced to only a handful of Russian and Ukrainian built An-26s, Yak-40s and three Boeing 727s, which were used on the longest domestic routes and military transport roles. With no overseas assets, by 1999 Ariana's international operations consisted of flights to Dubai only; also, limited cargo flights continued into China's western provinces. However, sanctions imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 1267 forced the airline to suspend overseas operations. In , Ariana was grounded completely.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: According to people interviewed by the "Los Angeles Times", Viktor Bout's companies helped in running the airline.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: It was 2005 before a US-led, international effort began to rebuild the Afghan Air Force. Marion writes:


title: Afghan Air Force

text: In 2005, the Americans took the first tentative steps to reestablishing an Afghan presidential airlift capability in keeping with a directive from U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. In May 2005, Afghan officials named Major General Dawran the commander of the new Afghan Air Corps. Later that year, a small team led by Colonel John Hansen, U.S. Army, began working with Afghan airmen at Kabul International Airport. By mid-2006, Colonel Hansen had developed a plan for the Air Corps that became the basis for the Combined Air Power Transition Force (CAPTF) that began work the following year.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: For the first time in over two decades Afghanistan began training new pilots. In January 2008, President Hamid Karzai said that his country's Air Force had been reborn after inaugurating its new headquarters at Kabul International Airport freshly equipped with new aircraft. It had received 26 new and refurbished aircraft, including Czech-donated Mi-35 Hind helicopter gunships. With United States funding, the Afghan government had also acquired transport helicopters and a number of Ukrainian military aircraft.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The North Kabul International Airport cantonment area included the new headquarters for the Afghan Air Force and 201st Kabul Air Wing. The wing's three operational squadrons, one fixed-wing, one rotary-wing, and the Presidential Airlift Squadron, were housed there. The cantonment area includes state-of-the-art hangars as well as operations, logistics, billeting, dining, and recreational facilities. Extensive AAF facilities were also constructed at Kandahar International Airport.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: A number of Afghan pilots and pilot-candidates travelled to the United States beginning in May 2009 for English language training, to be followed by instrument training for the pilots and undergraduate pilot training for the pilot-candidates. This was the start of an initiative that, within the following years, was to produce a small cadre of seasoned, instrument-rated Afghan Air Force pilots as well as a larger number of younger, well-trained pilots to serve as the backbone of the Afghan Air Force for the next generation. Other NATC-A-led programs include English language and technical courses for AAF personnel in various specialties including aircraft maintenance, logistics, communications, and engineering. As of June 2009, the Air Force numbered about 2,400 airmen, with a planned strength of 7,400 airmen within several years.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: In late 2009, the AAF began receiving refurbished former Italian Air Force Aeritalia G.222 tactical transports, named C-27 in U.S. service, and Mi-17V5 Hip transport helicopters. In June 2010 the Afghan National Army Air Corps became a separate and independent service and was renamed the "Afghan Air Force" by order of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Also in the same year, a number of female trainers completed their courses and were commissioned as lieutenants. More were being trained as the numbers of air force personnel increased.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: As of March 2011, the Afghan Air Force (AAF) had 44 rotary-wing and 13 fixed-wing aircraft in serviceable condition. By the end of 2011, the AAF had 16 C-27As (on loan from the U.S government) and 35 of the new Mi-8 Hips while continuing to operate the older Mi-17s and retiring the An-32 fleet. Further growth of the AAF depended on decisions regarding the size of the Afghan National Army which, in turn, determined AAF requirements. In a country of rugged terrain possessing limited ground transportation options, the Afghan Armed Forces depends heavily upon AAF fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft for airlift of soldiers and supplies between corps operating locations, medical and casualty evacuation, and transport of human remains. The Afghan government also relied on the AAF for transportation of election materials during the 2009 presidential election. It was announced in October 2011 that the Afghan Air Force would be provided with 145 multi-type aircraft and 21 helicopters. By the end of 2011, the Afghan Air Force had a total of 4,900 airmen and personnel.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: By 2016 the Afghan Air Force was planned to expand to 8,000 airmen and 145 operational aircraft. To that end there was continuing expansion in infrastructure, training and maintenance facilities. The US also purchased modern equipment and aircraft including Russian Mi-17 helicopters. Significant investment went into purchasing modern training aircraft such as MD 500 helicopters and fixed-wing Cessna 182 and 208 planes.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: In 2016–17, the United States Department of Defense (DOD) aimed to procure 30 additional armed MD-530F helicopters and 6 additional A-29 attack aircraft to replace the Mil Mi-35 in service with the AAF. DOD asked for funds to add an additional five AC-208s to the fleet. The requested FY2017 Afghan Security Forces Fund (ASFF) budget, including the 23 additional funds for the first year of the planned procurement, went to Congress on 10 November 2016.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: As part of the 2021 Taliban offensive, Taliban fighters targeted Afghan Air Force pilots. Many pilots escaped to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, bringing a number the AAF aircraft with them. Satellite pictures analysis of 16 August indicated that the Termez Airport held multiple AAF aircraft: including various Mi-17, Mi-25 and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, as well some A-29s and C-208s airplanes. An Afghan A-29 Super Tucano crashed in Uzbekistan's Surxondaryo Region. Two pilots ejected and landed with parachutes. Initially it was reported shot down by Uzbekistan air defenses, then the Prosecutor General's office in Uzbekistan issued a statement saying that an Afghan military plane had collided mid-air with an Uzbekistan Air Force MiG-29, finally it also retracted the statement about the mid-air collision. Afghan pilots which escaped to Tajikistan were held in a sanitorium until they were freed in November 2021.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: During the final Taliban offensive, the Taliban also deployed a secretive drone unit to attack high value targets such as government officials.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: On 1 September 2021, the Taliban flew a Black Hawk displaying the flag of the Taliban over Kabul. The top leadership of the Taliban announced their intentions to rebuild the Air Force. They have also encouraged US-trained Afghan pilots to return to Afghanistan. However, only a few pilots have returned since the Taliban takeover.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: On 11 January 2022, Taliban's minister of Defence Mullah Yaqoob asked Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to return the aircraft that were used by Afghan pilots to flee the country and warned of repercussions if the aircraft are not returned.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: On 6 February 2022, Taliban's Ministry of Defence spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarizmi announced that around five Afghan pilots have returned to the country and resumed their work.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: As of November 2019, the Afghan Air Force has at least 183 aircraft and approximately 6,800 personnel. There are four Afghan Air Force wings:


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The command center of the Afghan Air Force was located at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. The Shindand Air Base in Herat Province served as the main training facility.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Lt. Gen. Mohammad Dawran was the final Chief of Staff of the Afghan Air Force and Gen. Abdul Fahim Ramin as the final Afghan Air Force Commander. Abdul Raziq Sherzai served as a major general and commander of the Kandahar Air Wing. Abdul Raziq Sherzai is the brother of Nangarhar Province province governor Gul Agha Sherzai.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: In 2013 Afghanistan sent India a large wish-list of equipment which included one An-32 and two Squadrons of Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters. This deal was initially put on hold due to fears of antagonizing India's regional rival Pakistan, but in 2014 India reached a compromise where instead of directly supplying the equipment it would instead pay Russia to deliver them instead. The deal included arms, ammunition and the refurbishment of weapon systems and aircraft left behind by the Soviets.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: India further agreed to help refurbish older Soviet-era aircraft in Afghan Air Force. As a part of this two Indian Air Force teams visited Afghanistan and identified around 50 aircraft which could be serviced and brought back to active service. This included Mi-25/35, Mi-8 and An-32s aircraft.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Twenty attack aircraft that could also be used for training and to provide the Army with close air support were desired. The two contenders were the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano and the Beechcraft AT-6. Embraer won the previous contract but the tendering process was cancelled after it was discovered that proper procedures were not followed. A winner for the new contract was expected in June 2013 with first deliveries expected to begin in the third quarter of 2014, about 15 months after originally planned. The Super Tucano was declared the winner of the contract again in 2013. The contract was to be completed by Sierra Nevada Corp. for 20 A-29 Super Tucanos with an expected delivery date of between December 2015 and 2018. DOD purchased the Super Tucanos for $427 million.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The first ten aircraft were to be stationed at Shindand Air Base, in western Afghanistan. The other 10 were to go to Kandahar Airfield.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Pilot training was undertaken by the U.S. Air Force's 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. On 18 December 2015, the first Super Tucano pilots graduated at Moody AFB. USAF Colonel John Nichols, the 14th Flying Training Wing Commander said of the pilots, "The extraordinary dedication of these pilots and the sacrifices these graduates have made will help establish a secure, stable and unified country". The pilot graduates and the remaining 22 student pilots were to receive further, advisory support in Afghanistan.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The first four aircraft arrived at Hamid Karzai International Airport on 15 January 2016, with a further four due before the end of 2016. Combat-ready Afghan Super Tucano pilots graduated from training at Moody AFB returned to Afghanistan, the first of a total of 30 pilots the USAF trained.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: By March 2018, the AAF had 12 Super Tucanos in service. On 22 March 2018, the Afghan Air Force dropped a GBU-58 Paveway II laser-guided bomb from a Super Tucano in combat, for the first time.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The U.S. Navy equipped the Afghan Air Force with refurbished An-32 transport aircraft during initial reconstruction efforts. These aircraft augmented an existing fleet of An-32 and An-26 aircraft. The An-32 was retired on 17 June 2011 in a push to move operations over to the C27 program but like the L-39, it is still kept in ready status by the Afghan Air Force.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The United States purchased the C-27A to move the AAF away from Soviet aircraft. A total of 20 former Italian military C-27As were purchased with the intent of providing the Afghan Air Force a fleet that would last 10 years. However, the prime contractor in the refurbishment and supply of the planes, Alenia Aermacchi North America, a unit of Italian defense conglomerate Finmeccanica S.p.A., was unable to provide adequate maintenance support for the aircraft. As a result, the majority of the fleet at any time was grounded for safety of flight issues (including a period where the entire fleet was grounded for over 6 months). The US military worked over the course of three years with Alenia North America to get the fleet fully operational.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Part of the issues with supplying the C-27As came about from ownership. The C-27A program included an initial parts supply and training contract for the Afghan Air Force. Upon arrival of the first two aircraft in November 2009, Brig. Gen. Michael R. Boera, commanding general, Combined Air Power Transition Force and commander of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing announced that the aircraft were part of the Afghan National Army Air Corps in a ceremony at Kabul International Airport. The contract for the aircraft, a 14-month effort, had the U.S. government as the end user of the aircraft due to an Italian arms embargo with Afghanistan. The U.S. declaration that the C-27A was now an Afghan Air Force asset effectively violated international law and the Italian government enforced the embargo and stopped shipment of contracted supplies to Afghanistan. This put the U.S. government in a dilemma since the $290 million contract was funded through the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund (ASFF) which required, by U.S. law, that all military materials purchased be turned over to the Afghan government.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The C-27A was eventually determined to be a U.S. owned asset utilized by the Afghan Air Force with intent to turn over the asset in the future. This determination assumed that the Italian embargo would at some point be lifted, or that enough supplies could be stock piled to take the aircraft through its expected 10-year service life, but that determination was not immediate. This caused a delay of contracted goods beyond the time frame of the initial contract through no fault of the contractor, and made it necessary for the U.S. government to enter into a second more costly maintenance contract with Alenia North America to get aircraft operational. Since the C-27A aircraft purchased still had Italian military air worthiness certificates controlled by the company, Alenia North America effectively monopolized the entire supply chain making fair competition non-existent. This second contract inflated the total program cost to over $600 million, and it would have cost over $1.2 billion had the U.S. opted to extend the contract up to 10 years.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The contract with Alenia North America was eventually terminated. It was announced that the contractor had failed to meet their legal obligations, and that the Afghan Air Force would receive four Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, expected in 2013. The G-222 program legacy to the C-130 is that the cockpit and cargo compartment configurations of the C-27A are similar to that of a C-130H. The C-27A simulator program, contracted to Fidelity Technologies Corporation, produced three C-27A simulators: one Fuselage Load Trainer (cargo compartment), one Flight Training Device (cockpit), and one Basic Aircraft Training Device (cockpit). These training devices were built to FAA standards from two derelict U.S. Air Force C-27A aircraft and allowed the Afghan Air Force to continue to train while the C-27A fleet was effectively out of service for over a year, making transition to the C-130 a feasible alternative.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The Mi-17 was in service with the Afghan Air Force since the late 1970s (four were damaged or destroyed in combat as early as 1979). DOD purchased a number of new Mi-17s for the AAF from Russia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. At least two Mi-17s were reported to have crashed during the Afghanistan War.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The most recent DOD acquisition of Mi-17s was for 21 airframes, spare parts and training. These all include western avionics. Eighteen of these were delivered in 2012. As part of the contract, there was also an option for another twelve Mi-17s, raising the contract to 33. They were modified in the UAE after being delivered to the US Army to fit Afghan Air Force requirements better before being sent to Afghanistan.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The Afghan Air Force possessed two Mi-17v5 Flight Training Devices, one Mi-17v5 Basic Aircraft Training Device, and one Mi-17 Cockpit Procedure Trainer built by Fidelity Technologies Corporation. The Air Force was expected be in possession of 46 Mi-17 helicopters by June 2012, with an additional 10 to be delivered by 2016.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: In 2017 the decision was made to transition from Russian to U.S. helicopters due to issues with sourcing parts and maintenance because of ongoing diplomatic issues between the US, the AAF main source of funds, and Russia. Consequently, it was decided to replace the AAF Mi-17s with refurbished UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The Department of Defense (DoD) requested $814.5M for 2017, the first year of the plan, to re-equip the Afghan Air Force and to provide funding to procure 53 UH-60s, with refurbishment and modification of the first 18. Long term the US planned to provide 159 UH-60 Black Hawks with funding for the first 53 already being secured in the 2017 budget, however, the DoD would have had to request additional funds each year to procure the rest of the proposed aircraft. Deliveries were expected to start in 2019 with 30 helicopters expected to be delivered each year. The UH-60s were also to be fitted with rocket pods to increase their offensive capability and the first four UH-60s slated for training were expected to arrive in Afghanistan in autumn 2017. The refurbished helicopters would have been 1980s UH-60As with new engines with the most likely choice being the General Electric T-700-GE-701C, which is found on the U.S. Army's newer UH-60Ls and Ms, as well as the up-coming UH-60V model.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Training was undertaken at the Shindand Air Wing at Shindand Air Base in western Afghanistan. The base which had been refurbished and expanded by NATO was tripled its initial size. The seven candidates were all graduates of the National Military Academy of Afghanistan or Initial Officer Training held in the United Kingdom and also undertook English language training in the Kabul English Language Training Center. Students were to be trained in both fixed-wing aircraft, namely the Cessna 182T and 208B and in rotary wing aircraft, the MD 530F. About 6 MD 530F helicopters were delivered to Shindand in late 2011. The initial 6 helicopters completed acceptance flights and were in a condition to be used to begin training AAF pilots, although one was destroyed in 2013 by an IED. The four-year contract could’ve seen as many as 54 other helicopters being supplied to the AAF.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: With the delivery of 20 advanced fixed-wing light support aircraft, a plan was made for the A-29 Super Tucano Afghan pilots to undergo further training. This would’ve significantly increased the level of knowledge and experience in the AAF.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The Afghan Air Force (AAF) deteriorated following the collapse of Najibullah's government in 1992, and it was nearly eliminated by US/Coalition air strikes during Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2001. The new NATO-assembled Afghan Air Force gradually increased its aircraft inventory, personnel, and operational capabilities since at least 2007. The last addition of aircraft was made in December 2011, which included 12 trainers and 6 helicopters from the United States.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Multiple helicopters including UH-60 Black Hawk and Mil Mi-17 were destroyed during 2021 Taliban offensive. Multiple helicopters including Mil Mi-24, MD 530F Cayuse Warrior, UH-60 Black Hawk and Mil Mi-17 were also captured by the Taliban.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: During the Fall of Kabul, at least 22 military planes and 24 helicopters carrying 585 Afghans fled to Uzbekistan. One Afghan Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano crashed after crossing the border, Uzbek authorities issued conflicting reports on the cause. Two Afghan military planes carrying over 100 soldiers also landed on the Tajik city of Bokhtar.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Initial estimates of AAF aircraft captured by the Taliban, according to photographic/video evidence, included 13 aircraft, 38 helicopters, seven Boeing Insitu ScanEagle UAVs, and 73 additional aircraft reportedly disabled by U.S. forces before they departed.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: On 17 August 2021, it was reported that elements of the Afghan Air Force(AAF) fled to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on board 22 fixed-wing planes and 26 helicopters from the former AAF including A-29 Super Tucano, Cessna AC-208 Caravans, Pilatus PC-12NG, Mi-8/Mi-17s Hip, UH-60 Black Hawk, and MD 530F Little Bird. As the AAF fled to neighboring countries, one A-29 Super Tucano crashed in Uzbekistan, while 6 landed safely. 7 UH-60s fled to Uzbekistan.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: On 20 November 2021, it was reported that ex-Afghan Air Force aircraft - 3 Russian made Mi-17 Hip helicopters - had arrived at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base aka "The Boneyard". Based on radar data, they're believed to have come from Uzbekistan.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: On 10 December 2021, it was disclosed that a further 17 helicopters, ex-Afghan Air Force, have arrived at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base over the past few weeks. They included an additional 4 Mi-17 Hip transport helicopters and 17 MD 530F Little Bird armed light helicopters. This increased the total number of former Afghan Air Force aircraft, brought back to the U.S. to 24 aircraft - all helicopters. 37 UH-60A+ Black Hawk helicopters are being stored in the U.S. as their delivery was cancelled, while it's believed that the 7 Black Hawks that fled Afghanistan may be returned to the same unknown location where the 37 never delivered Black Hawks are kept. Six helicopters, including 3 UH-60A+ Black Hawks and 3 Mi-17s, were undergoing maintenance outside of Afghanistan when the country fell and it's unknown whether these Mi-17s were part of the airlifts that brought the additional 4 Mi-17s to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base over the past few weeks.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: During its first incarnation, Afghan aircraft carried simple black and white depictions of the Arms of Afghanistan, with the inscription 'God is great' on the underside of the wings. The Afghan flag was possibly used as well. Afghanistan adopted a black, red, and green flag after the 1929 revolt, and when the Air Force was given aircraft again in 1937, it placed this flag on the rudder, and adopted wing and fuselage roundels based on the three colors.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: The Royal Afghan Air Force retained the roundels until adopting a new style in 1967, with a unique insignia consisting of a tri-color triangle using the national colors upon a white disc, on which was inscribed with Arabic lettering forming various phrases. This roundel was placed on the rudder in place of the flag. This remained in use after the overthrow of the monarchy until the Russian invasion in 1979, when a new insignia of a red disc with yellow inscriptions was adopted. This was short-lived however, as in 1983, a more Soviet-standard red star on a white disc ringed in black, red, and green was adopted. These were maintained until after the Soviet departure.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: Upon the departure of Soviet forces from Afghanistan, and the fall of the communist government, a return to the triangle insignia was noted, although markings varied depending on the ownership of the aircraft.


title: Afghan Air Force

text: After the 2021 Taliban reassertion of power in Afghanistan, on some helicopters the triangle insignia was replaced by the flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan while on some others, the Taliban continue to use the traditional Afghan Air Force triangle.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: The 2019 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 presented by Alibaba Cloud for sponsorship reasons) was the 16th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions. The tournament was hosted by Qatar between 11 and 21 December 2019, taking place at two venues in Al Rayyan.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: Real Madrid, winners of the last three Club World Cup titles, were unable to defend their title, having been eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. The eventual winners of that competition, Liverpool, went on to win the Club World Cup for the first time, beating Mexican side Monterrey 2–1 in the semi-finals, before requiring extra time to claim a 1–0 win over Flamengo in the final.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: With proposals for an expanded Club World Cup, FIFA delayed the announcement of a host. A host was to be announced by FIFA on 15 March 2019, though this was later delayed. On 28 May 2019, FIFA announced that the 2019 and 2020 tournament host would be appointed at the FIFA Council meeting in Paris, France, on 3 June 2019.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: Qatar was appointed as the host for the 2019 and 2020 tournaments on 3 June 2019, serving as test events ahead of their hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Club World Cup retained its original format ahead of the revamp in 2021.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: The tournament was held in the city of Al Rayyan, at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and Khalifa International Stadium, which previously hosted matches at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, including the final for the latter. A third venue in Al Rayyan, Education City Stadium, was also originally planned to host matches during the tournament, including the final. In December 2019, FIFA moved all three matches (the second semi-final on 18 December and the third place match and final on 21 December) that were due to be played at the Education City Stadium to Khalifa International Stadium after the opening of the Education City Stadium was postponed to early 2020.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: Five referees, ten assistant referees, and six video assistant referees were appointed for the tournament.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: Each team had to name a 23-man squad (three of whom must be goalkeepers). Injury replacements were allowed until 24 hours before the team's first match.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: The draw of the tournament was held on 16 September 2019, 14:00 CEST (), at the FIFA headquarters in Zürich, to decide the matchups of the second round (between the first round winner and teams from AFC, CAF, and CONCACAF), and the opponents of the two second round winners in the semi-finals (against teams from CONMEBOL and UEFA). At the time of the draw, the identity of the teams from AFC and CONMEBOL were not known.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament. Mohamed Salah of Liverpool won the Golden Ball award, sponsored by Adidas, which is jointly awarded with the Alibaba Cloud Award to recognise the player of the tournament.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: In 2017, three member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council along with Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and criminalised trips for their citizens to the country. In October, FIFA sold 200 Club World Cup tickets to fans from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and 500 to those from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. In November 2019, Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticised FIFA for neglecting fan welfare and selling tickets for the Club World Cup to those banned by their governments. HRW stated that FIFA should be aware of the risks that the football supporters can face in their countries and ensure that they are not exposed to the risk of harassment or prosecution.


title: 2019 FIFA Club World Cup

text: On 5 November 2019, Liverpool Chief Executive Peter Moore assured that the Qatari authorities had permitted LGBT football fans to attend the FIFA Club World Cup matches in December 2019.


title: Miss Earth

text: Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.


title: Miss Earth

text: Since 2002, the pageant has been mostly held in the Philippines with live international telecasts in more than 80 countries via Fox Life and The Filipino Channel.


title: Miss Earth

text: Reigning titleholders dedicate their year to promoting specific projects, often addressing issues concerning the environment and other global challenges<ref name="tribuneindithe a.com/2004/20041008/world.htm"></ref> through school tours, tree planting activities, street campaigns, cleanups, speaking engagements, shopping mall tours, media guesting, environmental fairs, storytelling programs to children, eco-fashion shows, and other environmentally oriented activities.


title: Miss Earth

text: The Miss Earth Foundation works with the environmental departments and ministries of participating countries, various private sectors and corporations, as well as the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).


title: Miss Earth

text: Carousel Productions launched the first edition of Miss Earth in 2001 as an international environmental event with the mission of using the beauty pageant entertainment industry as a tool to promote environmental preservation.<ref name="missearth.tv/about.html"></ref> The pageant was first formally introduced in a press conference on April 3, 2001.


title: Miss Earth

text: In October 2001, Miss Earth adopted the slogan "Beauties For a Cause", but it wasn't until 2003 that the first "Beauty for a Cause" prize was awarded.


title: Miss Earth

text: With more countries participating each year and more national Miss Earth pageants on every continent, in 2003 Miss Earth surpassed Miss International to become the third largest international beauty pageant by number of participating countries.


title: Miss Earth

text: The pageant has tie-ins with Philippine government agencies, such as the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), as well as international environmental groups such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Greenpeace, to further its environmental advocacy. The pageant winner and her elemental court travel to various countries and involved in projects with the environmental departments and ministries of participating countries. The delegates also take part in tree planting ceremonies, environmental and cultural immersion programs, sponsor visits and tours.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2004, the Miss Earth Foundation was created to further the pageant's causes and to work with local and international groups and non-governmental organizations that are actively involved in conservation and improvement of the environment. The Miss Earth Foundation campaign focuses on educating young people in environmental awareness. Its major project, "I Love Planet Earth School Tour", teaches and distributes educational aids for school children. Miss Earth also partnered with the Philippine Daily Inquirer's "Read-Along Storytelling Program" to educate children on taking care of the environment, awareness on renewable energy, and biodiversity. The Miss Earth Foundation also educates people to act against environmental degradation and environmental protection by following the "5Rs": rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle, and respect.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2006, the Miss Earth pageant started to co-host the United Nations Environment Programme's Champions of the Earth, annual international environment awards established in 2005 by the United Nations to recognize outstanding environmental achievers and leaders at a policy level. Miss Earth also joined with Greenpeace to call for a ban on genetically-engineered food crops, promotion of organic farming and advancement of sustainable agriculture.


title: Miss Earth

text: The Miss Earth Foundation teamed up with The Climate Reality Project in 2016 for the "Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training" conducted by its founder and chairman, former US Vice President, Al Gore to create an effective platform awareness on climate change.


title: Miss Earth

text: On November 4, 2008, the first Miss Earth Eco-Fashion Design Competition was launched by the Miss Earth Foundation as an annual event for professional and non-professional fashion designers to come up with designs that are eco-friendly. The outfit designs are made from recyclable, natural materials, organic materials, and eco-chic designs or patterns that can be worn in everyday life or are runway worthy.


title: Miss Earth

text: The pageant has attracted delegates from countries and territories that typically frown upon beauty pageants.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2003, Vida Samadzai, an Afghan woman, now residing in the United States, received press attention after she competed in a red bikini. Samadzai was the first Afghan woman to compete in an international beauty pageant in almost three decades, but the fact that she wore a bikini caused an uproar in her native country. Her involvement in the pageant was condemned by the Afghan Supreme Court, saying such a display of the female body goes against Islamic law and Afghan culture.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2005, a Pakistani beauty queen, Naomi Zaman, was the first Miss Pakistan World winner to participate in Miss Earth, and is the first delegate from Pakistan to compete in any major international pageant; beauty pageants are frowned upon in Pakistan.


title: Miss Earth

text: Miss Tibet Earth 2006, Tsering Chungtak, the first Tibetan to represent Tibet in any major international beauty pageant, made headlines when she drew international attention towards the Tibetan struggle for freedom. She also advocated for the boundaries of acceptable social etiquette towards the 21st century, in a traditionally conservative Tibetan culture, where most grown women wear ankle-length dresses. Nevertheless, her participation in the pageant received approval from the Dalai Lama.


title: Miss Earth

text: Carousel Productions licensed the Miss Cuba organization in 2007 to select the first Cuban representative at Miss Earth. Ariana Barouk won; she became the first Miss Cuba in several decades, and competed at the Miss Earth pageant. Also in 2007 pageant, Miss Earth made history when delegates from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Tibet all competed together for the first time in an international pageant in spite of political sensitivities.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2008, the Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan, one of the world's most isolated nations, sent its first Miss Bhutan, Tsokye Tsomo Karchun. Rwanda also sent its first ever Miss Rwanda national winner, Cynthia Akazuba; both of them competed at the Miss Earth 2008 pageant.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2009, Beauties of Africa, Inc., the franchise holder of Miss Earth South Sudan sent Aheu Kidum Deng, Miss South Sudan 2009, who stands 196 cm (6 feet and 5 inches), and is the tallest documented beauty queen ever to take part in any international beauty pageants.


title: Miss Earth

text: Palestine debuted in one of the Big Four pageants in 2016 via Miss Earth when Natali Rantissi represented Palestine with the approval of Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine and Palestinian National Authority, where she made a courtesy call at the Moukata Palace prior to her departure to participate in the pageant. However, Miss Palestine refused to wear a bikini but was allowed to partake in the events including in the Miss Earth 2016 finale.


title: Miss Earth

text: Also in the 2016 edition of the pageant, Miss Iraq Organization sent Susan Amer Sulaimani as Iraq's first representative since 1972 in Big Four pageants to participate in Miss Earth 2016. However she was the only one who wore a dress instead of a bikini during the pageant's press-conference.


title: Miss Earth

text: In the 2017 pageant, Miss Rwanda Honorine Hirwa Uwase appeared in the swimsuit competition wearing a gown, maintaining a long-held Rwanda tradition of not wearing bikinis in public.


title: Miss Earth

text: Miss Lebanon 2018 Salwa Akar received international press attention when she was stripped of her title in Lebanon, while participating in Miss Earth 2018 pageant after she posted a photo in Facebook with her arm around Miss Israel's Dana Zerik and gestured the peace sign. Lebanon and Israel are in a long standing state of war. As a result, she was unable to continue her participation in the Miss Earth pageant. In a press release, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Ofir Gendelman, reacted on Akar's dethronement and condemned the "Lebanese apartheid."


title: Miss Earth

text: Papua New Guinea sent its first representative in the Miss Earth 2019 pageant with Pauline Tibola, becoming the first representative in the Big Four international beauty pageants since Miss World 1990.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2020, the 20th edition of Miss Earth marked the entrant of countries such as Bangladesh (Meghna Alam), Burkina Faso (Amira Naïmah Bassané) and Syria (Tiya Alkerdi). It was the second time Burkina Faso participated in the Big Four pageants after Miss International 2019 and first for Syria to participate in major international pageant in several decades after Miss World 1966.


title: Miss Earth

text: The pageant was held in the Philippines every year from 2001 to 2009. Miss Earth 2006 was scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile on November 15, 2006, but the host country failed to meet the requirements of the host committee; the pageant was moved back to the Philippines.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2008, the pageant was held for the first time outside Metropolitan Manila.<ref name="times-weekend/20081116week1.html"></ref> It was held at the Clark Expo Amphitheater in Angeles City, Pampanga on November 9, 2008.<ref name="globalnation.inquirer-news/breakingnews/view/20081110-171362/RP-bet-crowned-Ms-Earth-2008"></ref><ref name="abs-cbnnews-entertainment/11/09/08/philippine-bet-miss-earth-2008"></ref>


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2009, the pageant took place for the first time outside Luzon Island. The coronation night venue for Miss Earth 2009 was held at the Boracay Ecovillage Resort and Convention Center in the Island of Boracay, Philippines.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2010, the pageant finally took place for the first time outside the Philippines. The coronation night venue for Miss Earth 2010 was held at the Vinpearl Land Amphitheater at Nha Trang, Vietnam.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2011, the pageant was scheduled to be held on December 3, 2011, at the Impact, Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand but due to flood situation in Thailand, Carousel Productions decided to move the Miss Earth 2011 pageant venue to Manila, Philippines.


title: Miss Earth

text: In 2012, the pageant was supposed to be held in Bali, Indonesia but the organizers did not meet the minimum requirements on time, so it was moved back to the Philippines. Miss Earth 2012 was held on November 24, 2012, at the Palace in Muntinlupa, Philippines.


title: Miss Earth

text: On July 18, 2022, vice-president of Miss Earth organization Lorraine Schuck announced that Miss Earth 2023 will be held in Vietnam.


title: Miss Earth

text: The COVID-19 pandemic caused travel restrictions would have the contestants to travel to the Philippines and would be forced to subject on a 14-day quarantine period upon arrival in that country. It was announced on 14 August 2020, the Miss Earth Organization would have to crown their new titleholders on a virtual coronation night scheduled for 29 November 2020 for the first time in the organization's history, such occurrence a major beauty pageant held virtually from the participants' home countries for the first time since the inception of beauty pageants dated back to the 1920s.


title: Miss Earth

text: The pageant started on 21 September 2020 and ran for a couple of months. On 12 October 2020, the organization held a "Getting to Know You" virtual meet and greet with each delegate hosted by former Miss Earth 2008 Karla Henry. The pageant preliminary was streamed online on virtual channel KTX on 24 November 2020.


title: Miss Earth

text: The candidates were split into four continental groups: Asia & Oceania, Africa, Americas, and Europe and then competed in the following categories: Earth Talk, Talent, Evening Gown, Swimsuit, Sports Wear, National Costume, and Interview with Netizens. The preliminary judging categories are: Beauty of Face, Fitness, and Environmental Awareness.


title: Miss Earth

text: The pre-pageant activities and coronation night were conducted virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for the second consecutive year in 2021.


title: Miss Earth

text: Competing delegates must have never been married or given birth and be between 18 and 28 years of age. In the pre-judging stage, Miss Earth delegates are judged on their intelligence and their knowledge of environmental issues and policies, comprising 30% of the total score, while the remaining criteria are as follows: 35% for beauty and knowledge, 20% form and figure, 10% poise, and 5% attitude. The delegates then participate in three rounds of competition: swimsuit, evening gown and question-and-answer. The last round focuses on topics of environmental concern.


title: Miss Earth

text: In the early years of the pageant, from 2001 to 2003, ten semi-finalists were chosen at Miss Earth. From 2004 to 2017, sixteen semi-finalists are chosen with the exception of the 2010 (10th) edition where only 14 semi-finalists were selected. The number has since then increased to 18 in 2018 and 20 in 2019. Since 2004, Semi-finalists are cut to eight finalists, then to the final four from which the runners-up and winner are announced. By 2019, the number of finalists were increased to ten.


title: Miss Earth

text: The pageant's winner is crowned Miss Earth; the Runners-up are named after classical elements: Miss Fire (third runner-up), Miss Water (second runner-up), and Miss Air (first runner-up), however from 2010, the "elemental titles" (Air, Water and Fire bestowed on the next three delegates with highest scores after the Miss Earth winner) were proclaimed of equal importance and thus have the same ranking and no longer classified as "runner-up."


title: Miss Earth

text: The Miss Earth crown used in 2001 and the Swarovski crown in 2002–2008 were designed and created by a multi-awarded Filipino designer named Arnel Papa.


title: Miss Earth

text: On November 16, 2009, Miss Earth unveiled a new crown designed by jewelry designer Ramona Haar with the frame made of 100% recycled 14K gold and argentums sterling silver and the stones composed of black diamonds, sardonyx, calcite, ruby, jade quartz crystal, garnet, peridot, and pearls gathered from over 80 of the participating countries in 2009. In the 13th edition of the Miss Earth, new tiaras were introduced for the elemental titleholders called elemental crowns which represent air, water and fire with colorful stones in yellow, blue and red.


title: Guzheng

text: The zheng () or gu zheng (), is a Chinese plucked zither. The modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25, or 26 strings, is long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard made from "Paulownia" wood. Other components are often made from other woods for structural or decorative reasons. Guzheng players often wear fingerpick made from materials such as plastic, resin, tortoiseshell, or ivory on one or both hands.


title: Guzheng

text: There are nylon steel strings, steel strings, silk strings, etc., depending on the genre. Now, the most common guzheng is 21 strings guzheng. The high-pitched strings of the guzheng are close to the player, and the low-pitched strings are on the opposite side. The strings' order from the inside to the outside is 1 to 21.


title: Guzheng

text: The guzheng is ancestral to several other Asian zithers such as the Japanese koto, the Korean gayageum and ajaeng, Mongolian yatga, the Vietnamese đàn tranh, the Sundanese kacapi, and the Kazakhstan jetigen. The guzheng should not be confused with the guqin, a Chinese zither with seven strings played without moveable bridges.


title: Guzheng

text: The guzheng has gone through many changes during its long history. The oldest specimen yet discovered held 13 strings and was dated to possibly during the Warring States period (475–221 BCE). The guzheng became prominent during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE). By the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), the guzheng was perhaps the most commonly played instrument in China. The guzheng is played throughout all of China with a variety of different techniques, depending on the region of China and the time period. It has a light timbre, broad range, rich performance skills, and strong expressive power, and it has been deeply loved by many Chinese people throughout history.


title: Guzheng

text: The guzheng has various accounts for its origin. An early guzheng-like instrument is said to have been invented by Meng Tian, a general of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE), largely influenced by the se. Some believe the guzheng was originally developed as a bamboo-tube zither as recorded in the "Shuowen Jiezi", which was later redesigned to be more like the se and made from larger curved wooden boards and movable bridges. A third legend says the guzheng came about when two people fought over a 25-string se. They broke it in half, one person receiving a 12-string part and another the 13-string part.


title: Guzheng

text: Strings were once made of silk. During the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) the strings transitioned to only wires such as brass. Modern strings are almost always steel coated in nylon. First introduced in the 1970s, these multi-material strings increased the instrument's volume while maintaining an acceptable timbre.


title: Guzheng

text: The guzheng is often decorated. Artists create unique cultural and artistic content on the instrument. Decorations include carved art, carved lacquer, straw, mother-of-pearl inlays, painting, poetry, calligraphy, shell carving (jade), and cloisonné.


title: Guzheng

text: Guzheng music has similarity with folk songs, it is developed on the basis of people's life. Through the performance of performers, it reflects the production and life of people at that time.


title: Guzheng

text: The guzheng is plucked by the fingers with or without plectra. Interestingly, among the 21 strings of Guzheng, although no strings are specifically assigned to play F or B, those pitches can be produced by pressing E and A instead, respectively. Most modern players use plectra that are attached to up to four fingers on each hand. Ancient picks were made of mundane materials such as bamboo, bone, and animal teeth or by finer materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell, and jade.


title: Guzheng

text: Traditional playing styles use the right hand to pluck notes and the left hand to add ornamentation such as pitch slides and vibrato by pressing the strings to the left of the movable bridges. Modern styles use both hands to play on the right side of the strings. There are many techniques used to strike notes. One iconic sound is a tremolo produced by the right thumb rotating rapidly around the same note. Other guzheng techniques include harmonics ("Fanyin") where one plucks a string while tapping it at the same time, producing a note in a higher octave.


title: Guzheng

text: Many guzheng techniques have been borrowed from other instruments. For example, "Lun" is a borrowed technique. In "Lun", all five fingers pluck on a string to produce a tremolo sound similar to the Pipa.


title: Guzheng

text: Songs from Shandong include "High Mountain and Flowing Water [Shandong Version]" ("Gao Shan Liu Shui") and "Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace" ("Han Gong Qiu Yue"). Songs from Henan include "High Mountain and Flowing Water [Henan Version]" and "Going Upstairs" ("Shang Lou").


title: Guzheng

text: According to Samuel Wong, songs from Henan are fiery. Left hand slides and vibrato are used frequently and tremolo is done with the thumb. Meanwhile, Shandong songs are "glamorous...melodic lines often rise and fall dramatically...Its music is characteristically light and refreshing."”" Slide descending notes are not used as often as Henan. Glissandos are always on beat.


title: Guzheng

text: Southern styles include Chaozhou and Kejia (Hakka) regional styles. Another prominent school is the Zhejiang regional school in the southeast.


title: Guzheng

text: Southern songs include """Jackdaw Plays with Water" ("Han Ya Xi Shui)" from Chaozhou and "Lotus Emerging from Water" ("Chu Shui Lian") from the Hakka School. Famous songs from Zhejiang include "The General's Command" ("Jiang Jun Ling").


title: Guzheng

text: Chaozhou and Hakka songs are similar but according to Mei Han, “Hakka melodies are similar to but less highly embellished than those of the neighboring Chaozhou school.” Songs from Chaozhou use even less descending notes and glissando are free rhythm. Chaozhou songs have "irregular beats, and alternate between hard and soft taps on the strings." Zhejiang songs use technique similar to the Pipa. Frequent tremolo is used with left-hand glissando. Other techniques include "sidian", where 16th notes are played used thumb, index finger and middle finger in quick tempo.


title: Guzheng

text: The guzheng is played on a pentatonic scale, with notes "fa" and "ti" being produced by bending the strings. The scale can change with using "flat", "natural" and "sharp" notes. Chaozhou songs use multiple scales, using both "flat" notes or both "natural" notes. The tone of the song can change based on the scale.


title: Guzheng

text: Many pieces composed since the 1950s have used newer techniques and also mix elements from both northern and southern styles, ultimately creating a new modern school. Examples of modern songs include "Spring on Snowy Mountain" ("Xue Shan Chun Xiao") by Fan Shang E, and "Fighting the Typhoon" ("Zhan Tai Feng") by Wang Changyuan.


title: Guzheng

text: Newer techniques (especially since the 1950s) have included playing harmony and counterpoint with the left hand.


title: Guzheng

text: Experimental, atonal pieces have been composed since the 1980s. For example, "Ming Mountain" ("Ming Shan") and "Gloomy Fragrance" ("An Xiang") are contemporary songs that do not use the traditional pentatonic scale.


title: Guzheng

text: In 2021, Chinese/Australian guzheng composer and player Mindy Meng Wang collaborated with Australian electronic musician Tim Shiel, releasing a single, "Hidden Qi 隐.气", in February, followed by an EP, "Nervous Energy 一 触即发", in March of that year. She has previously collaborated with British band Gorillaz and Australian band Regurgitator, and intends to stay in Australia and continue to produce modern music.


title: Guzheng

text: Notable 20th-century players and teachers include Wang Xunzhi (, 1899–1972), who popularized the Wulin "zheng" school based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang; Lou Shuhua, who rearranged a traditional "guzheng" piece and named it "Yu Zhou Chang Wan"; Liang Tsai-Ping (1911–2000), who edited the first "guzheng" manual ("Nizheng Pu") in 1938; Cao Dongfu (1898–1970), from Henan; Gao Zicheng (born 1918) and Zhao Yuzhai (born 1924), both from Shandong; Su Wenxian (1907–1971); Guo Ying (born 1914) and Lin Maogen (born 1929), both from Chaozhou; the Hakka Luo Jiuxiang (1902–1978) and Cao Guifen and Cao Zheng (, 1920–1998), both of whom trained in the Henan school. The Cao family of Henan are known as masters of the "guzheng".


title: Guzheng

text: Notable 21st-century Chinese "guzheng" players include Xiang Sihua, Wang Zhongshan, Chang Jing, and Funa. Although most "guzheng" music is Chinese classical music, the American composer Lou Harrison (1917–2003) played and composed for the instrument. Contemporary "guzheng" works have also been written by non-Chinese composers such as Halim El-Dabh, Kevin Austin, David Vayo, Simon Steen-Andersen, and Jon Foreman.


title: Guzheng

text: Zhang Yan (张燕, 1945–1996) played the "guzheng", performing and recording with Asian American jazz bandleader Jon Jang. Other musicians playing in non-traditional styles include Wu Fei, Xu Fengxia, Randy Raine-Reusch, Mohamed Faizal b. Mohamed Salim, Mei Han, Bei Bei He, Zi Lan Liao, Levi Chen, Andreas Vollenweider, Jaron Lanier, Mike Hovancsek, Chih-Lin Chou, Liu Le and David Sait. Also, Koto player Brett Larner developed innovative works for the "guzheng" and played the instrument in a duet with electronic musician Samm Bennett on his CD "Itadakimasu".


title: Guzheng

text: In the television drama series "My Fair Princess", actress Ruby Lin's character Xia Ziwei plays the "guzheng" (although she mimes to the music). It is featured in the 1980 pop hit, "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime", by the Korgis.


title: Guzheng

text: In the film "Kung Fu Hustle", the assassins known as The Harpists play a long zither to generate bladed and percussive attacks. The instrument has raised bridges like a guzheng but its body is shaped like a guqin. The sound is that of a guzheng.


title: Guzheng

text: The "guzheng" has been used in rock music by Chinese performer Wang Yong of Cui Jian, the English musician Jakko Jakszyk (on the 2011 Jakszyk, Fripp & Collins album "A Scarcity of Miracles"), J.B. Brubaker of August Burns Red on "Creative Captivity" from the 2013 album "Rescue & Restore", and the virtual band Gorillaz on "Hong Kong" (from the 2005 "Help! A Day in the Life" compilation). Jerusalem-based multi-instrumentalist Bradley Fish used the "guzheng" with a rock-influenced style and electronic effects on his 1996 collaboration "The Aquarium Conspiracy" (with Sugarcubes/Björk drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson), and is the most widely recorded artist of loops for the instrument. Mandopop singer-songwriter and music producer Lay Zhang is known for using traditional Chinese instruments such as the guzheng.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is an Indian Government-owned aerospace and defence electronics company. It primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for ground and aerospace applications. BEL is one of nine PSUs under the Ministry of Defence of India. It has been granted "Navratna" status by the Government of India.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: Starting with the manufacture of a few communication equipment in 1956, BEL started producing receiving valves in 1961, germanium semiconductors in 1962, and radio transmitters for AIR in 1964 with help from the Soviet Union.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: Under the government's policy of decentralisation and due to strategic reasons, BEL set up new units at different location across the country. The second unit of BEL was set up at Ghaziabad in 1974 to manufacture radars and Tropo communication equipment for the Indian Air Force. The third unit was established at Pune in 1979 to manufacture image converter and image intensifier tubes.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: The agreement for setting up BEL's first joint venture company, BE DELFT, with M/s Delft of Holland, was signed in 1990. This later became a subsidiary of BEL with the exit of the foreign partner and has been renamed BEL Optronic Devices Limited.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: The second Central Research Laboratory was established at Ghaziabad in 1992. The first disinvestment (20%) and listing of the company's shares in the Bangalore and Mumbai Stock Exchanges took place in same year-1992.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: In addition, new products and technologies including software defined radios, next generation bulk encryptor and high data tactical radio were also on show. Airborne products displayed included radar finger printing system, data link, digital flight control computer and identification friend or foe. Also on display were the complete range of optoelectronic equipment, including night vision devices, digital handheld compass and an advanced land navigation system.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: BEL is the lead integrator of Akash, the Indian-made guided missile air defence weapon system. Another major system is weapon locating radar, the state-of-the-art passive, phased array radar which has undergone successful user trials by the Indian defence forces.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: BEL Optronic Devices Ltd. is a subsidiary company of BEL. It was founded in 1990 with the aim of conducting research, development and manufacture of image intensifier tubes and associated high voltage power supply units for use in military, security and commercial systems. The company is headquartered in Pune and earned aggregated revenue of during the fiscal year 2007.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: BEL-Thales Systems Limited is a joint venture company (JVC) between Bharat Electronics Limited and Thales. Incorporated on 28 August 2014, the company is located in the BEL Industrial Estate, Jalahalli, Bengaluru.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: GE-BE Pvt Limited was set up in 1997 as a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Limited and General Electric Medical System. The facility based at Whitefield, Bangalore, manufactures X-ray tubes for RAD & F and CT systems, as well as components such as high voltage tanks and detector modules for CT systems. The products are exported worldwide and meet the safety and regulatory standards specified by FDA, CE, MHW, AERB and the facility has been accredited with ISO-9001; ISO-13485 and ISO-14001 certifications. GE-BEL also markets the conventional X-ray tubes made at the Pune unit of BEL. The turnover of GE-BEL during 2004–2005 was over ₹4.50 billion (US$97 million) including an export of over ₹4.30 billion (US$92 million). The company has been recognised for its outstanding export performance since 1998 by the Export Promotion Councils.


title: Bharat Electronics

text: As of September 2018, Bharat Electronics Limited is primarily owned by the central government (66%), Mutual funds and UTI (14%), Foreign institutional investors (6%), individual investors (5%) and insurance companies (4%).


title: Bharat Electronics

text: Bharat Electronics Limited has set up a joint venture with General Electric (GE) USA, for manufacturing high voltage tanks and detector modules for computed tomography (CT) scan systems and advanced level of X-ray tubes. The company is in the process of joining with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to set up a joint venture to make solar photovoltaic components. BEL has signed a memorandum of understanding with Indus Teqsite, Chennai, for the design and development of digital subsystems for its equipment, test systems for its radars, avionics and electronic warfare, and another with the French company Thales International to set up a joint venture for civilian and defence radar. BEL has signed a memorandum of understanding with Textron Systems to provide nicro-observer unattended ground sensor (UGS) systems to the Indian security agencies.