Iraqi Air Force wants F-15 and F-16s

[contedicavour]

Iraq is operating some helicopters and transport aircraft (C130s if I recall correctly). They probably need even more helos to make their forces more mobile in the more rural areas.
In a few years the US will eventually reduce their strength in Iraq and then the country will need some COIN / light bombardment / recce aircrafts of their own. That's why I would see aircrafts such as SU25, MB339, AC130s, and armed Pilatus, etc.
However more powerful fighters won't be needed in years since control of the airspace will probably be the last thing the US will relinquish before quitting Iraq entirely in several years' time.

cheers

 

[vivtho]

Iraq is operating some helicopters and transport aircraft (C130s if I recall correctly). They probably need even more helos to make their forces more mobile in the more rural areas.
In a few years the US will eventually reduce their strength in Iraq and then the country will need some COIN / light bombardment / recce aircrafts of their own. That's why I would see aircrafts such as SU25, MB339, AC130s, and armed Pilatus, etc.
However more powerful fighters won't be needed in years since control of the airspace will probably be the last thing the US will relinquish before quitting Iraq entirely in several years' time.

cheers

I agree with this. A fleet of 200 modern jets is just a pipe dream. Even with the oil revenues, there is no way Iraq can pay for such a fleet. With the cheapest F-16C/Ds going for $47 million (sold to Taiwan in 2006) and F-15s for $80 million (sold to Singapore in 2005) such a fleet would cost 10.7 billion USD. The current need for the Iraqi AF (assuming the US pulls out immediately) is for light counter-insurgency and attack aircraft.

However, rather than selling new aircraft, I expect the US to donate some older F-16s from USAF stocks to Iraq before (if ever) they pull out.

 

[contedicavour]

The most useful assets USAF/USMC could hand over to Iraq would be IMHO the A-10, heavily armed versions of AH-1 Cobra, and earlier versions of the AC-130, and a lot of transport aircrafts (those that will be replaced by the C27J) and helos (old UH-1). Germany and France could hand over some Alphajets, and Italy some MB339s => all having in common good 30mm cannons that can really help in COIN missions.
In a few years eventually a couple of squadrons with 40-50 F16 ADF ex ANG would be enough to cover the airspace. But these would be useless against insurgents, so clearly carry a very low priority.

cheers

 

[USNavySEAL3310]

The U.S. Government would never let Iraq get the contract from Boeing/Lockheed/etc, nor would it willingly 'donate' the hardware over. As long as Iraq is as unstable as it is now, they won't be seeing any new hardware (certainly not air/naval equipment) for years to come. Loyalties shift easily over there.

I don't doubt this will become a political question in the near future: Should Americans supply the Iraq government with advanced hardware to sustain itself.

 

[vivtho]

The most useful assets USAF/USMC could hand over to Iraq would be IMHO the A-10, heavily armed versions of AH-1 Cobra, and earlier versions of the AC-130, and a lot of transport aircrafts (those that will be replaced by the C27J) and helos (old UH-1). Germany and France could hand over some Alphajets, and Italy some MB339s => all having in common good 30mm cannons that can really help in COIN missions.
In a few years eventually a couple of squadrons with 40-50 F16 ADF ex ANG would be enough to cover the airspace. But these would be useless against insurgents, so clearly carry a very low priority.

cheers

I doubt that the USAF will let go of any of it's stock of A-10s. It has found it a useful aircraft and there is no successor to it in the near future. I do agree that ex-ANG F-16s would most likely be donated.

 

[T-95]

I doubt that the USAF will let go of any of it's stock of A-10s. It has found it a useful aircraft and there is no successor to it in the near future. I do agree that ex-ANG F-16s would most likely be donated.

Isn't the A-10 a USAF exclusive??? I'm surprised no one asked to buy it. It's a hell of a plane!

 

[AegisFC]

It is a hell of a plane alright, but most countries would rather have a more multi-role plane instead.

 

[KevinB]

The U.S. Government would never let Iraq get the contract from Boeing/Lockheed/etc, nor would it willingly 'donate' the hardware over. As long as Iraq is as unstable as it is now, they won't be seeing any new hardware (certainly not air/naval equipment) for years to come. Loyalties shift easily over there.

I don't doubt this will become a political question in the near future: Should Americans supply the Iraq government with advanced hardware to sustain itself.

To answer your question, no. Any weapons sent to the "Iraqi Army" will either be used to commit genocide against Sunni Arabs and/or Kurds and/or will be turned over to the lunatics in Tehran.

 

[contedicavour]

To answer your question, no. Any weapons sent to the "Iraqi Army" will either be used to commit genocide against Sunni Arabs and/or Kurds and/or will be turned over to the lunatics in Tehran.

It's true there are huge risks involved, but if you don't start equipping those folks decently you can't expect them to replace eventually the US soldiers and marines...
Besides, the Iraqi army is the only asset we have to pacify the place and is a more trustable and unitary then the police (which is in thrall to sectarian militia leaders).
I'm not saying they should receive MBTs or recent F16/15s but firepower needs to be increased. Hence my point about COIN and armed helos.

cheers

 

[Waylander]

They already have MBTs. T-72s from former WarPac countries and possible from Jordan.

 

[eckherl]

They already have MBTs. T-72s from former WarPac countries and possible from Jordan.

Jordan has T-72s, I thought they have been quite fond of British main battle tanks.

 

[contedicavour]

They already have MBTs. T-72s from former WarPac countries and possible from Jordan.

They also had a lot ex USSR T55,62,72 but that was before the war. How many are expected to be still operational nowadays ? It would be interesting to see how the Iraqi army uses them. They should be the mainstay of heavy convoys in areas where the insurgents are very active.

cheers

 

[eckherl]

The hardware that Jordan has donated to Iraq at the present time is helicopters and BTR94s, maybe some cargo aircraft also.

 

[KevinB]

They also had a lot ex USSR T55,62,72 but that was before the war. How many are expected to be still operational nowadays ? It would be interesting to see how the Iraqi army uses them. They should be the mainstay of heavy convoys in areas where the insurgents are very active.

cheers

If I'm not mistaken, a lot of the old Soviet tanks fell into the hands of the Kurds after the war.

 

[swerve]

If I'm not mistaken, a lot of the old Soviet tanks fell into the hands of the Kurds after the war.

Many appear to have been spirited across the border to Iran, where they've been turned into scrap & fed into steel mills. Some are in service with the new Iraqi army. From what I've heard from US soldiers in Iraq, some are sitting around rusting.

 

[eckherl]

Many appear to have been spirited across the border to Iran, where they've been turned into scrap & fed into steel mills. Some are in service with the new Iraqi army. From what I've heard from US soldiers in Iraq, some are sitting around rusting.

Alot of it is being policed up and sold to Jordan as scrap also.

 

[beleg]

Turkey also melts lots of those old tanks. Some are said to be radioactive (guess why ) posing risks to the workers who work with them. I also don't think that the US will want to hand over new planes. Even ones from old stock is highly debatable. Iraq is too instable to make huge military hardware transfers.

 

[kenhew7]

So dose this mean that Iraq may never get planes? Because right now it seems like the Americans want to leave and if that happens then the insurgency would be everywhere so it doesn't look like Iraq will ever stabilize, unless there is a pan-Arab peace keeping force deployed there after the Americans leave.

So much for an Iraqi Air Force.

i doubt so but such hi tech aircraft? i dun think Israel will stand by and watch another Arab power with such sophisticated weaponry at their backyard. furthermore if Iran and Iraq decides to teach Israel a lesson by painting those aircraft with Israeli markings, who knows what will happen then.as for pan-Arab peacekeeping force i doubt it will ever happen as it will pit Arabs against each other if something goes wrong as who? will side who? then.

 

[T-95]

i doubt so but such hi tech aircraft? i dun think Israel will stand by and watch another Arab power with such sophisticated weaponry at their backyard. furthermore if Iran and Iraq decides to teach Israel a lesson by painting those aircraft with Israeli markings, who knows what will happen then.as for pan-Arab peacekeeping force i doubt it will ever happen as it will pit Arabs against each other if something goes wrong as who? will side who? then.

Arabs never had these problems, only when the US came along to "secure oil interests".

 

[T-95]

They already have MBTs. T-72s from former WarPac countries and possible from Jordan.

Yes, they also had MiG-25's but, I'm not sure what happened to them. Did the US take them? I have never seen the Iraqi Security Forces with MBT's not even IFV's just HUMVEE's.