Iraqi Military News

[Ali_as]

Originally Posted by sheytanElKebir

Israeli F16s are modified locally in Israel and not comparable to "blocks".
UAE F16s are Block 60 and equipped with AMRAAM, HMCS, AIM-9X.
Iraqi F16s are Block 52, but DOWNGRADED with AIM-7 missiles and AIM-9M (i.e. useless against ALL NEIGHBOURS!). It has the armament of a Block-25 in case you're wondering!

Why would the Iraqi govt. agree to buy it then?

We don't want to wage war against anyone but it would help to maintain an edge against them.

[sheytanElKebir]

Originally Posted by Ali_as

Why would the Iraqi govt. agree to buy it then?

We don't want to wage war against anyone but it would help to maintain an edge against them.

the decision makers neither understand NOR care about such frivolous "details".

[Spin Cycle]

Originally Posted by sheytanElKebir

the decision makers neither understand NOR care about such frivolous "details".

But I doubt any politician in Whitehall (or anywhere else, for that matter) has the technical competency to decide what is an appropriate purchase. That's why they have specialists who tell them. Question is, who are the specialists advising the Iraqi government?

[Ali_as]

Originally Posted by Spin Cycle

But I doubt any politician in Whitehall (or anywhere else, for that matter) has the technical competency to decide what is an appropriate purchase. That's why they have specialists who tell them. Question is, who are the specialists advising the Iraqi government?

Good question.

[sheytanElKebir]

nephew of abu sibah, or an old comrade from da'awa who was living on social security in Britain, and therefore knows the technicalities of armaments and running a country inside out.

kutle mal 7othale.

[makaay31]

27 September 2011
Cessna Caravan planes are seen on the tarmac at an Iraqi air force base in Tikrit, north of Baghdad, in this undated handout. Saddam Hussein once commanded one of the most powerful airforces in the Middle East with 40,000 personnel and 1,000 aircraft including Soviet MiG and French Mirage fighters. Now its combat capability lies largely in three Cessna propeller planes armed with Hellfire missiles. In a move to redress the balance in the face of an Islamist insurgency and regional turmoil, Iraq on September 26, 2011, said it had signed a multibillion-dollar contract to buy 18 Lockheed Martin F-16s warplanes.

[sheytanElKebir]

sorry dude. these are T6A trainers.

this is an iraqi cessna caravan armed with hellfires.

[makaay31]

yeah you are right, didn't notice it.

btw it isnt my article

[IraqiPlan_et]

ESC Provides Modern Air Traffic Control System For Iraq
September 29, 2011


The U.S. Air Force Electronic Systems Center issued the following news release:
The Electronic Systems Center completed work in September that improves and upgrades Iraq's air traffic control system.

The completion of this foreign military sales effort involved the delivery of two new air traffic control tower systems along with state-of-the-art radar and ATC-tower simulators to the Iraqi government.

"These FMS cases play an important role in providing a critical aviation infrastructure that will aid the Iraqi government in securing its airspace," said Rainy McIntosh, FMS program manager. "It also helps meet U.S. National Security Strategy security assistance and cooperation goals."

The tower systems were installed at Tikrit and Taji Airbases and will allow the Iraqi personnel to manage their airspace in accordance with FAA guidelines. The simulators will allow the Iraqi government to train their military and civilian air traffic control operators so they can gain and maintain proficiency.

"Having these systems allows the Iraqis the opportunity to truly control their civilian aviation destiny by controlling their airspace," said Mr. McIntosh. "And by being in compliance with the FAA guidelines, it could open the door for more civilian overflights, possibly turning into an opportunity for increased revenue."

Site acceptance testing for a radar integration effort at the Baghdad Area Control Center, or BACC, was also completed in September. This effort integrates three existing radars located at Baghdad International Airport, Kirkuk Air Base and Basrah Air Base into the BACC. Through network equipment at the sites and software modifications to the existing automation system at the BACC, radar feeds from Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Basrah are incorporated into a single airspace picture. This integration will provide a baseline air traffic control picture and enable future radar approach control services for the Iraqi Air Force.

"This radar integration is critical to ensure the Iraqi Air Force can sustain air sovereignty," said Mr. McIntosh.

Accomplishing all this work was not without its challenges.

"We were working in an extremely austere environment, where the main mode of travel is a helicopter," said Mr. McIntosh. "This made it very difficult to transport people and parts between sites, some of which are still getting attacked, made the efforts logistically challenging and it becomes more daunting as we approach the deadline for American troops to pull out."

The FMS cases now transition to contractor logistics support sustainment efforts. Personnel from the two current contractors, Raytheon and ARINC, will remain in Iraq through September 2012 to continue to provide support for the systems.

Personnel from ESC and the contract teams were able to provide a tour and overview of the systems to Iraqi Army Aviation and Iraqi Air Force senior leaders.

"This tour was a great opportunity to showcase the twenty-first century technology and capability being provided," said Mr. McIntosh. "It also served to highlight the great work being done by the program management office and contractor teams."

He hopes the Iraqis will fully embrace the capability and utilize it to its potential.

"The state-of-the art equipment is such a big leap from the old Soviet equipment they were using, and it provides them a more global aviation capability," he said. "Providing the tour let us heighten the awareness of the capability, and I hope the Iraqi people will continue to make the investment to make the most of it."

[iraqishi3i]

U.S. Military Hands Millions of Dollars of Equipment Over to Iraqis


The next three months in Iraq will look like a veritable fire sale, as 45,000 U.S. forces prepare to leave by the Dec. 31 deadline.
Rather than ship home valuable military hardware, incurring excessive shipping costs, the Pentagon is simply going to leave millions of pieces of equipment behind, including everything from vehicles and body armor to trailers and air conditioners.
When all is said and done, Pentagon planners estimate 3.47 million pieces of equipment worth $313 million will be handed over to the Iraqi government, which still has not asked U.S. forces to stay beyond the December deadline.
The most valuable equipment -- an estimated 1.5 million items -- was shipped home in the last 12 months. About 800,000 pieces of equipment must be removed from Iraq in the next three months.
Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, the top spokesman for U.S. Forces-Iraq, says it wouldn't be cost prohibitive to take these supplies out of the country along with the troops. But there are other considerations.
"It seems to me we really have three choices," Buchanan told Fox News in an interview from Iraq. "We can either leave the equipment to whoever may find it, basically abandon it as we transition the base, or we can pay the millions of dollars it would take to move this equipment back to the United States. ... Or we can maintain complete accountability of it and transfer it to the government of Iraq, who may still be able to get some use out of it."
Buchanan said handing the equipment to the Iraqis is the most responsible route.
Military officials estimate that U.S. taxpayers will save $600 million by leaving this equipment in Iraq. Aside from the equipment, there are still 44,000 U.S. troops in Iraq scheduled to come home by the end of the year.
According to defense officials, this is the biggest logistical operation since the build-up for World War II.
Humvees and mine resistant vehicles, whose V-shape hulls protect troops from roadside blasts, are worth the cost of refurbishing, but trucks and SUVs worth $30,000 when purchased new in 2004 are only worth about $5,000 to $8,000 today and would cost more than that to ship back to the U.S. Looming defense budget cuts make it more cost-effective to leave equipment in Iraq than to bring it home, where budgets face cost-cutting by Congress.
The U.S. military built about 505 bases and outposts at the height of the Iraq War in 2005 and during the surge. About 34 bases remain in U.S. hands, according to Pentagon officials. Those bases cost billions of dollars to build and look as though they were built with the idea that U.S. planes and forces could use them in the future as a long-term basing option. In Balad, a 15-square-mile joint base is home to three dining facilities, several sports fields, a movie theater and the largest airfield in Iraq -- all built with U.S. taxpayer money.
Buchanan said some of the amenities on these large bases, including swimming pools, were already there. "Those bases were in the Iraqi Security Forces before we came. We occupied them. ... I am not going to apologize for ensuring our soldiers can sleep at night when it's 120 degrees outside," he said.
The Obama administration has since decided not to negotiate to position more than a small training force inside Iraq, meaning those heavily modified airstrips and bases will be given to the Iraqis at no cost.
Another example of equipment that the U.S. plans to leave behind is the common jersey barrier, or T-wall as it's known in Iraq. The walls, shaped like an upside-down "T," lined the roads throughout Baghdad at the height of the war and served to protect government and commercial buildings from bombs and other attacks.
Military officials in Iraq say pouring a new T-wall, depending on its size, costs between $800 and $5,000 -- but it would cost $5,000 to ship one home.
Buchanan said it's important to remember the military is not giving away any weapons, humvees, tanks or heavily armored vehicles. For example, the Iraqi Army's 140 M-1 tanks were purchased from the United States. Iraq has paid for 90 percent of its military hardware through foreign military sales with the United States, Buchanan said.
Most of the U.S. weapons systems that are still useful have already been sent to Afghanistan.

[sheytanElKebir]

Originally Posted by iraqishi3i

[U][B][SIZE="5"]
The U.S. military built about 505 bases and outposts at the height of the Iraq War in 2005 and during the surge. About 34 bases remain in U.S. hands, according to Pentagon officials. Those bases cost billions of dollars to build and look as though they were built with the idea that U.S. planes and forces could use them in the future as a long-term basing option. In Balad, a 15-square-mile joint base is home to three dining facilities, several sports fields, a movie theater and the largest airfield in Iraq -- all built with U.S. taxpayer money.
Buchanan said some of the amenities on these large bases, including swimming pools, were already there. "Those bases were in the Iraqi Security Forces before we came. We occupied them. ... I am not going to apologize for ensuring our soldiers can sleep at night when it's 120 degrees outside," he said.
The Obama administration has since decided not to negotiate to position more than a small training force inside Iraq, meaning those heavily modified airstrips and bases will be given to the Iraqis at no cost.

what a load of crap from the FAUX NEWS.

[makaay31]

An Antonov AN-326 aircraft is seen on the tarmac of Baghdad's airbase November 18, 2011. Iraq received on Friday delivery of its first Antonov AN-326 aircraft made in Ukraine and used for military transportation. With U.S. troops scheduled to leave Iraq at the end of the year, Baghdad is looking to build up its air capabilities as its national armed forces take over responsibility for security.

[Basrawii]

more russian junk... can't we learn from our mistakes! ever!
Btw, I think even if we buy F-16B52 we can always upgrade them later. But, the question is, who is going to upgrade them for us!

[alshawi1234]

Originally Posted by Basrawii

more russian junk... can't we learn from our mistakes! ever!
Btw, I think even if we buy F-16B52 we can always upgrade them later. But, the question is, who is going to upgrade them for us!

This is used for transportation so I don't think it really matters where there from as long as they run. As long as they don't stack iraq's inventory with obsolete Russian tanks...

[Basrawii]

Originally Posted by alshawi1234

This is used for transportation so I don't think it really matters where there from as long as they run. As long as they don't stack iraq's inventory with obsolete Russian tanks...

Man, they have found many flows in the Ukrainian ANTOVES. This is the reasons it took them almost 6 more months to deliver them. Also, these ANTOVES are supposed to be totally new, they found out that the engines were actually used because the company doesn't have a new model to replace the old one as promised to Iraq! it is one hell of a fucked up corrupt deal.

This Antoves are not supposed to be for transportation, they should be used for skydiving or parachute airborne special ops teams! I don't know why they say transportation now! may be another flow in them.

[Spin Cycle]

Am I right in thinking that the Iraqi army is mostly incompetent, with the notable exception of the special forces?

[Basrawii]

You r very right!

[makaay31]

Reuters Pictures 23 minutes ago An Iraqi flag flutters as a helicopter flies overhead during training at Basmaya military base in Baghdad November 25, 2011. With U.S. troops scheduled to leave Iraq at the end of the year, Baghdad is looking to build up its air capabilities as its national armed forces take over responsibility for security.


Getty Images 58 minutes ago Iraqi air force members walk past Russian-made helicopters during a military training session at Basmaya base, about 20 kms south of Baghdad, on November 25, 2011. A maximum of 763 civilian contractors and 157 US military personnel will train Iraqi security forces post-2011, if the Iraqi government gives its approval, a US officer said this week as the war-torn country prepares for the pullout of US troops.


Getty Images 59 minutes ago Iraqi air forces use Russian-made helicopters during a military training session at Basmaya base, about 20 kms south of Baghdad, on November 25, 2011. A maximum of 763 civilian contractors and 157 US military personnel will train Iraqi security forces post-2011, if the Iraqi government gives its approval, a US officer said this week as the war-torn country prepares for the pullout of US troops.


Getty Images 58 minutes ago Russian-made helicopters shoot flares during a military training session by Iraqi air forces at Basmaya base, about 20 kms south of Baghdad, on November 25, 2011. A maximum of 763 civilian contractors and 157 US military personnel will train Iraqi security forces post-2011, if the Iraqi government gives its approval, a US officer said this week as the war-torn country prepares for the pullout of US troops.


Reuters Pictures 56 minutes ago An Iraqi helicopter fires rockets during training at Basmaya military base in Baghdad November 25, 2011. With U.S. troops scheduled to leave Iraq at the end of the year, Baghdad is looking to build up its air capabilities as its national armed forces take over responsibility for security.


Reuters Pictures 42 minutes ago Iraqi soldiers stand in a line during training at Basmaya military base in Baghdad November 25, 2011. With U.S. troops scheduled to leave Iraq at the end of the year, Baghdad is looking to build its national armed forces to take over responsibility for security.


Reuters Pictures 53 minutes ago An Iraqi helicopter fires rockets during training at Basmaya military base in Baghdad November 25, 2011. With U.S. troops scheduled to leave Iraq at the end of the year, Baghdad is looking to build up its air capabilities as its national armed forces take over responsibility for security.

[Yousifovic]

Ohh today was the biggest army training in Iraq !

[Basrawii]

FYI everbody, today was the first time they ever use this much live fire, Lt. Gen. Hamid Almaliki who is the commander of the Army Air Force (Not the Iraqi Air Force) which is a branch of the military equipped mainly with fighter helicopters and transport ones said.

Some pics for you: