July 12, 2011U.S. Set to Sell Fighters to Iraq
Iraq has quietly started negotiations to buy U.S. fighter jets and air-defense systems worth billions of dollars, a purchase Washington hopes will help counter Iranian influences and cement long-term ties with Baghdad after American troops pull out.
Baghdad had frozen plans to buy 18 advanced U.S. F-16 fighters earlier this year after the Arab Spring protests in the region turned its attention to internal stability. Now, senior U.S. and Iraqi officials said Iraq is considering raising its purchase to as many as 36 of the jets.
The decision by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to renew the F-16 talks follows ...
full article @ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304584404576440333683383242.html
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Mideast unrest and food inflation derails F-16 buy. (Feb 16/11)
Iraq’s military has made significant strides in recent years, and the country is ordering more advanced military equipment to match. A slew of 2008 requests aimed to spend over $10 billion to buy advanced armored vehicles, strengthen its national military supply chain, build new bases and infrastructure for its army, and even buy advanced scout helicopters. Budget shortfalls have stretched out those buys, but that situation is easing, even as Iraq’s air force continues to make progress.
Anxious to complete its transformation and stand fully on its own, Iraq is pushing to begin flying its own fighters within the next couple of years – and is looking to buy American F-16s, rather than the Soviet and French fighters that made up Saddam’s air force…
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While events can always overtake even the best of plans, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has told reporters that he wants all American forces to be able to leave Iraq by 2011. Recent alliances with Iranian proxy Moqtada al-Sadr’s party have added impetus to that position.
An Iraqi request for F-16s would have fit well with that strategy, if it had been made in early 2009. No country can remain sovereign if it cannot control its own air space, and having its own fighter aircraft available for missions would give Iraqis far more leeway to make independent decisions about the future direction, training, and use of their military.
The problem is that procurement, plus training, plus qualification of that air force for serious combat, takes years. With no formal request published as of early April 2010, there is no way that Iraq can meet a 2011 timeline.
That 2011 timetable was always a tall order; in fact, it was probably impossible from the outset. The USAF currently operates about 300 aircraft of all types in Iraq, supplemented by US Navy fighters and US Army transports and helicopters. That force will not be replaced by 24-36 F-16s – nor would such a force provide sovereignty insurance against Iraq’s neighbors. Indeed, the need for US government sale approval, training, and logistics stand-up means that the new Iraqi Air Force is unlikely to have any operational F-16s before 2013.
If Iraq wishes to go beyond air-air roles for its F-16s and perform close air support as well, its air force will find that this is a demanding task all its own, requiring practice and combined-arms training and equipment in order to be effective.
The USAF has deliberately slowed Iraq’s progress in this area for various operational and political reasons, and so there is no current base of expertise or equipment for the IqAF to build upon. If the IqAF wishes to be able to replicate the crucial role performed by American and British fighter jets in the Iraqi Army’s March 2008 Battle for Basra, therefore, or to support Iraqi troops in the even of hostile incursions from its neighbors, it will need to allocate even more lead time before it can be effective.
In the end, all of the relevant decisions will be political, rather than military, choices. That includes the question of whether the USAF is asked to remain in Iraq after 2011, in order to guarantee defense of the country’s air space.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Iraq-Seeks-F-16-Fighters-05057/
U.S.: Iraq looking to buy F-16 fighters
The Obama administration and Congress must approve the sale
The F-16 jets would be used to protect Iraqi airspace, a U.S. official says
The fighters probably would be equipped with air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground weapons
Washington (CNN) -- Iraq appears to be moving forward on plans to buy as many as 18 U.S. F-16 fighter jets at a cost of $3 billion, after putting off a potential sale several months ago, an American military spokesman told CNN on Tuesday.
"Iraq had stated a desire to relook at this over the last couple of weeks," said Col. Barry Johnson, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq. The United States and Iraq had reached an informal agreement for such a sale some months ago, but that deal was never formalized and did not take place, according to Johnson.
The fighters would be used to protect Iraq's airspace, Johnson said. It's expected the F-16s would be equipped with both air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground weapons. The potential sale comes as U.S. concerns continue to grow about Iran's rising power in the region, as Washington prepares to end much of its military mission in Iraq by the end of the year.
If Iraq makes a formal request to purchase the jets and it is approved by the Obama administration and Congress, the cost could reach $4 billion when weapons, spare parts and maintenance are added. Johnson said the majority of the costs are likely to be paid using Iraqi oil revenues.
As with all foreign military sales, the United States places restrictions on technology transfers to ensure that U.S. technology does not fall into unapproved hands. If a request for a purchase is made by Iraq, Baghdad would have to provide assurances that it could control the technology, a U.S. official said.
Iraq's fledgling air force already has helicopters and some small surveillance aircraft.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/12/iraq.fighter.jets/index.html?section=cnn_latest
