The End Of Iraq’s F-16 Fleet Is A Real Possibility As Lockheed Contractors Prepare To Leave
Without U.S. technicians, the fall from grace of the Iraqi Air Force’s Viper fleet could be complete.
Tag: F-16IQ
The Iraqi Air Force’s F-16 Fleet Is On The Brink Of Collapse Despite Showy Flybys
A high-profile 23 F-16 flyover may only have served to paper over the cracks in what is an increasingly precarious Iraqi Viper fleet.
Russia Re-ups Offer To Arm Iraq With S-400 Air Defenses As Relations With The U.S. Sour
Amid confusion and uncertainty about the future of the U.S. military’s presence in Iraq, Russia has unsurprisingly swooped in to re-up its offer to sell the country S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems, as well as other air defense weapons. The U.S. government’s recent decision to kill Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian commander responsible for overseeing assistance to terrorist and militant groups overseas, has raised the potential for the Iraqi government to expel American forces, which would open up a vacuum that Russia and others are already looking to fill.
Only One Of Iraq’s Chinese CH-4B Drones Is Mission Capable As Other Buyers Give Up On Them
As of the end of June, only one of Iraq’s Chinese-made CH-4B drones was fully mission capable, contributing to a major shortfall in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capacity, according to recent U.S. government report. Unspecified maintenance issues are apparently to blame, but the news does follow reports that other operators of the type have been less than pleased with its performance.
Iraq’s An-32 Cargo Planes Turned Bombers Flew Nearly Twice As Many Strikes As its F-16s
New data shows the impromptu bombers were heavily involved in fighting ISIS.